Context

The defining act of the 2004 vintage at Domaine Leroy was not something that happened in the vineyard or the cellar, but a decision made afterward: every red premier cru and grand cru was declassified. The official explanation, repeated by those close to the domaine, centered on aromatic reliability—a belief that parcel-level wines in 2004 could not consistently meet the standard required for site-specific bottling. Yet among collectors and longtime observers, there has always been another layer of interpretation. The vintage coincided with the death of Lalou Bize-Leroy’s husband, Marcel Bize, and some have speculated that the sweeping declassification was also shaped by that personal loss.

The 2004 growing season

The 2004 growing season in Burgundy progressed on a largely normal timetable, with adequate sugar accumulation, structurally sufficient acidity, and phenolic maturity achieved in many parcels. From a purely analytical standpoint, there was no systemic failure in ripening or balance. The issue that emerged was aromatic reliability after harvest, with green or pyrazine-associated characters reported across parts of the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, linked to late-season conditions and insect pressure.

This mattered more at Domaine Leroy than it would have at most producers. Leroy’s wines are defined less by extraction or power than by aromatic intensity and clarity. In that context, the decision to declassify all red premiers and grands crus in 2004 makes sense. Parcel-level wines must be aromatically precise to justify site-specific bottling. When that condition cannot be met consistently, blending and classification removal is a rational outcome.

Rather than lowering standards to preserve labels, Leroy removed the labels to preserve standards.

Cellar and farming context

The 2004 wines were produced under Domaine Leroy’s standard technical framework. There is no evidence of a stylistic or procedural shift in the cellar to accommodate the declassification.

On to the Blends

The best way for me to make sense of the 2004 Leroy reds is to stop thinking in terms of classification and start thinking in surface area. Domaine Leroy did not publish blending sheets, but its vineyard holdings are well documented. By weighing the blends by parcel size, I start to make sense of these wines

Bourgogne Rouge 2004

Parcels and sizes

• Clos de Vougeot (Grand Cru): 1.9069 ha

• Pommard Les Vignots (village): 1.2599 ha

• Clos de la Roche (Grand Cru): 0.6650 ha

• Corton-Renardes (Grand Cru): 0.5014 ha

• Volnay Santenots du Milieu (1er): 0.3510 ha

• Auxey-Duresses Les Lavières (village): 0.2345 ha

• Pommard Les Trois Follots (village): 0.0682 ha

• Bourgogne Rouge vines (regional): 0.7411 ha

Total contributing surface: 5.7280 ha

Bottles produced: 16,200

Surface-weighted blend (%)

• Clos de Vougeot: 33.29%

• Pommard Les Vignots: 22.00%

• Bourgogne Rouge vines: 12.94%

• Clos de la Roche: 11.61%

• Corton-Renardes: 8.75%

• Volnay Santenots du Milieu: 6.13%

• Auxey-Duresses Les Lavières: 4.09%

• Pommard Les Trois Follots: 1.19%

Tasting note

This is a Clos de Vougeot–weighted wine with real Côte de Beaune influence. It shows firm structure, resolved tannins, and a compact mid-palate. The Vougeot component provides beautiful aromas and length, while the Pommard and Volnay add an attractive ted-fruited profile. It is fully mature, stable, and food-driven. I would not be surprised if others guessed high-quality Beaune Premier Cru in a blind tasting. Drink now.

Vosne-Romanée 2004

Parcels and sizes (hectares)

• Les Beaux Monts (1er): 2.6113 ha

• Aux Genaivrières (village): 1.2331 ha

• Romanée-Saint-Vivant (Grand Cru): 0.9929 ha

• Richebourg (Grand Cru): 0.7765 ha

• Aux Brûlées (1er): 0.2713 ha

Total contributing surface: 5.8851 ha

Bottles produced: 20,405

Surface-weighted blend (%)

• Les Beaux Monts: 44.37%

• Aux Genaivrières: 20.95%

• Romanée-Saint-Vivant: 16.87%

• Richebourg: 13.19%

• Aux Brûlées: 4.61%

Tasting note

This may be the only time I get to taste Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Richebourg in a single wine. Despite the names involved, this is not a grand-cru level wine by lofty Leroy standards. It does not possess the massive power of Richebourg nor the haunting aromatics of Romanée-Saint-Vivant. What it is, though, is quintessentially Vosne. The wine is multidimensional, acid-driven, and restrained, with resolved tannins and beautiful fruit. It is transparent rather than hedonistic, yet still keeps me coming back to the glass. The aromas still linger, even after nearly an hour with an empty bottle. Drink now through the near term.

Chambolle-Musigny 2004

Parcels and sizes (hectares)

• Les Fremières (village): 0.3499 ha

• Musigny (Grand Cru): 0.2700 ha

• Les Charmes (1er): 0.2294 ha

Total contributing surface: 0.8493 ha

Bottles produced: 3,313

Surface-weighted blend (%)

• Les Fremières: 41.20%

• Musigny: 31.79%

• Les Charmes: 27.01%

Tasting note

I admit that I’ve yet to taste the individual components that make up this blend, so I don’t have great comparative benchmarks for this wine. Red cherry, cranberry, and dried strawberry—carried by a light, precise frame and fine acidity. As the wine sits longer in the glass, a subtle green edge emerges on the finish, a familiar marker of the 2004 vintage that never fully disappears. Fully mature and delicately structured, this is a Chambolle to drink now.

Gevrey-Chambertin 2004

Parcels and sizes (hectares)

• Latricières-Chambertin (Grand Cru): 0.5715 ha

• Chambertin (Grand Cru): 0.5003 ha

• Aux Combottes (1er): 0.4630 ha

• Gevrey-Chambertin (village): 0.1095 ha

Total contributing surface: 1.6443 ha

Bottles produced: 5,440

Surface-weighted blend (%)

• Latricières-Chambertin: 34.76%

• Chambertin: 30.43%

• Aux Combottes: 28.16%

• Gevrey village: 6.66%

Tasting note

This is effectively a grand-cru Gevrey blend with Combottes filling out the mid-palate. The wine is savory, structured, and linear, with resolved tannins and persistent acidity. It is not expressive in a perfumed sense, but it is complete and convincing at the table. One of the most serious wines in the lineup. Wait 5-10 years before enjoying.

Nuits-Saint-Georges 2004

Parcels and sizes (hectares)

• Aux Boudots (1er): 1.1968 ha

• Aux Lavières (village): 0.6916 ha

• Aux Allots (village): 0.5215 ha

• Aux Vignerondes (1er): 0.3780 ha

• Au Bas de Combe (village): 0.1454 ha

Total contributing surface: 2.9333 ha

Bottles produced: 7,857

Surface-weighted blend (%)

• Aux Boudots: 40.80%

• Aux Lavières: 23.58%

• Aux Allots: 17.78%

• Aux Vignerondes: 12.89%

• Au Bas de Combe: 4.96%

Tasting note

The wine is firm and linear, built around acidity rather than fruit, with dark cherry and dried red fruit playing a secondary role. Aux Boudots clearly drives the structure, giving the wine a touch of Vosne spice with tension and persistence through the mid-palate. There is a savory, earthy edge, but it remains integrated. Fully mature and steady in the glass, this is a gorgeous Nuits to drink now.

Market release

The 2004 Domaine Leroy red wines began appearing on the market in late 2006. This timing places the release roughly 18–24 months after the 2004 harvest, consistent with a standard Burgundy élevage and commercial rollout. That detail matters, because Domaine Leroy is often associated with holding wines back for extended periods before release. In the case of the 2004 reds, Lalou Bize-Leroy appears to have followed a conventional producer timeline, despite the unusual decision to declassify the entire red range. 

Wolf Call

The 2004 Leroy reds trade at a 30-60% discount to Grand Crus of her surrounding vintages, and that discount is largely rational. The value that remains is rarity and circumstance: these exact blends will never exist again, and a year like 2004, shaped by both vintage conditions and the passing of Lalou Bize-Leroy’s husband, will never repeat itself. Buy selectively, insist on provenance, and approach them as finished wines that matter for what they represent, not for what they might become.