Benjamin Laroche
France
Benjamin's Wines
- France
- 7Â wines
- 2Â styles
Benjamin's skill lies in his understanding of the perfect picking times for high quality grapes and this mastery comes through in his wines.
- Meet Benjamin Laroche – With 7 generations of family expertise behind him, you can taste his wealth of local knowledge in every sip!
- With your support, Benjamin is making his dream a reality...creating his own range of stunning Chablis, showcasing the quality and purity the region has to offer.
- Benjamin has been travelling around the world on a mission to discover "The essence of the pure Chardonnay". Well...we think he's nailed it!
Vineyard Location
Benjamin Laroche's Story
"I have deep roots in an exceptional “Terroir”. A native of Chablis, my family has had vines in the Chablis area since 1663 and they have created a vineyard, which is considered as one of the jewels of the Chablis appellation.
From my work in the vines during childhood days to managing companies (Rhône Valley, Languedoc and Burgundy), I have been travelling all over France and the rest of the world for more than 15 years. Throughout this wide experience, I have managed to capture the wishes and needs of the most demanding customers.
When you grow up in a family of winemakers in a such beautiful region as Chablis, you cannot think about doing something else than making and selling wine. I never asked myself the question why. It was just meant to be.
I would say that I grew up with a grape of Chardonnay under my pillow. I have always followed my grand father when I was on holidays in the vines. Caring the vines, taking care of the leaves, tasting the grapes directly on the tree. When you grow you also have to learn all the process of making wine and some tasks are not so glamorous! So I must say, I have always tried to make wine!
I love waking up every morning in the region I like most. Looking at these old Burgundy houses surrounded with vines all around. Colours are changing mostly every day. It is also very important for me to help my customers all around the world discover the essence of the Burgundy climate, the typical soil of Chablis and the story of my family.
I am constantly looking for outstanding gems in the vineyard. I find undiscovered treasures among passionate winemakers who masterfully manage their plots. Our range is characterized by elegance, purity, minerality. Some appellations are more vivid, others are more round. La Manufacture wines represent well the typicity of our unique terroir.
Chardonnay is of course, my passion. My partners say that I have blind eyes on whatever is not from Chablis. I of course reply that this is not true but in fact, deep in my heart, I have a passion for this varietal especially when it is grown in Chablis. It truly expresses the Terroir, it is full of wonders, it ages marvellously and wine and food pairing is a must. My wife is an excellent cook and we play a lot with wine and food pairing together.
Even with a family history in the vineyard, setting up a new adventure is sometimes difficult as you have many things to do, to care about and to worry about. You have to give trust to people and you have to gain trust from your partners. I also had to convince my wife and my son to follow me on this adventure and take the risk with me. But I am so happy today to have reached my dreams.
We are just starting up on our own and have limited funds. Burgundy is a peculiar region because even if wines are generally selling well, there is a problem of resources and volume. Reaching return on investment is very difficult. Moreover winegrowing takes time and it is risky. The support from the Angels will help us sustain our investment and secure our future vintages."
