Wines

An exemplary Aligoté from two parcels totaling a mere half hectare, one in Puligny-Montrachet (30+-year-old vines) and one in Saint-Aubin (60+ year old). The wine is raised in stainless steel, rendering a classic style, with notes of green apple, lemon verbena and crushed stone. Its direct, zingy and palpable mineral drive and an attractive fruit presence complement its bright and racy character.

“En Jorcul” is a well-situated lieu-dit which abuts the appellation of Saint-Aubin on its western edge, just past “Le Ban”, and where the Prudhons own 0.8 hectares of vines. The wine is fermented and aged in barrel, but no new oak is employed, thereby allowing the minerality to take center stage, with a vivid, limestone-drenched nose, and a beautifully harmonious mouthfeel—driven, but not dominated, by vigorous acidity, and with a saliva-inducing interplay of fruit and mineral.

This village level white is sourced from multiple parcels that cover 2 2/3 hectare; the bulk of the vineyards are hillside situated and are found in the southwestern quadrant of the village. The age of the vines varies from 15 to 65 years. The soil is clay and limestone and the exposition is south-southeast. No new oak is utilized on this cuvée and the élevage is about eight months long.

This parcel is a mere 1/3 of an hectare of vines planted two decades ago. The vineyard is in the southwestern part of the village on a hillside slope overlooking the town and facing east-southeast. Elevage in barrel for the Les Castets is twelve months with about 25% new oak being used during that period. The wine is particularly rich and fruity perhaps without some of the complexity of the cuvées from parcels situated farther east.

The Prudhons have both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir planted in this lieu-dit. There is almost a half hectare planted to Chardonnay on this hillside site that sits northeast of the village. The vines are 35 years old and face east-southeast. An élevage of twelve months in barrel (approximately 25% new oak) precedes the bottling. The age of the vines and excellent exposure produce a wine of precision and character with firm minerality and broad shoulders.

This half hectare parcel of 35 year old vines sits to the northeast of the village slightly lower on the hill than the Sentier du Clou. The soil here is intensely stony. This was the very first of the 1er Cru whites to be bottled at the domaine in the early 1980s. The wines sees 12 months of élevage and about 20% of the barrels are new. The “Perrieres” is an ample wine with formidable complexity.

As the name implies, this parcel of approximately ¾ of an hectare sits on a hillside overlooking the neighboring hamlet of Gamay (directly east of Saint Aubin and a neighbor to Puligny). The vineyard is a mix of 20 year old and 60 year old vines. The soils are classic clay and limestone and the vineyards face southwest. As with the other 1er Cru whites, this wine ages in barrel (20% new oak) for 12 months before bottling. The “Sur Gamay” yields a complex wine that often requires several years to express its full character marked by notes of honey and minerals.

A tiny parcel of about 1/10 of a hectare that sits on a very steep slope above the hamlet of Gamay facing southwest on clay and limestone soil. The vines are quite old (45 years). Effectively, this is a “micro-cuvée” as less than three barrels are produced annually (about 800 bottles); thus, the new oak exposure is highest here (one-third). Perhaps the most classic wine of the appellation … a pure-bred!

From a parcel about a quarter hectare in size, planted on a plateau just above the Grand Cru of Chevalier Montrachet in Puligny; vines of 30 years. with a south-southeast exposure on intensely stony soil. An exceptional wine that proves the quality to be found in the wines from this sometimes-ignored village.

The Prudhons own just one-fifth of a hectare in this amazingly situated premier cru. Also a mere stone’s throw from Chevalier-Montrachet, “Les Murgers des Dents de Chien” sits just to the north of “En Remilly” and just below “Sur Gamay” on the slope—the most prime real estate in Saint-Aubin. As is typically the case, this bottling is less exuberant and forward than “En Remilly” in its youth, with a quiet, deep minerality, and a bit less sumptuous fruit character, but holds great, great promise.

From the lieu-dit in the most northern sector of Chassagne, bordering Puligny and close to the Grand Cru Criots Batard Montrachet. The vines here are 45 years of age and have a south-southeast exposure. The wine is aged on the fine lees for twelve months (sometimes more) before bottling. It is an ample and persistent wine that ages particularly well.

This parcel is almost one hectare in size with one part planted to 30-year old vines and a second part planted to vines in excess of 80 years of age! A splendidly sited lieu-dit that sits just beneath the Grand Cru Bienvenues Batard Montrachet. This wine is aged in barrel (20% new oak) for 15 to 18 months before bottling. Another of the exceptional values offered by this gem of a domaine.

“La Garenne” sits high on the slope, just above the great Puligny-Montrachet premier cru “Champs Gains,” and bordering Blagny to the south. This represents Prudhon’s smallest holding, a parcel of 60-year-old Chardonnay vines on less than a tenth of a hectare (!). As befits its premier cru status, the “Garenne” is broader than “Enseigneres”, with a richer, more viscous texture, but still with a characteristically scintillating acidity. Because they produce only two barrels per vintage, this wine sees 50% new oak, but the sheer grandeur and density of the wine prevents it from being at all obtrusive.

This cuvée is drawn from several parcels in Saint Aubin that comprise about 7/10 of a hectare. The vines are a mix of young (10 years) and older (40 years). Clay and limestone soils with a western exposure in the western most sector of the village of Saint Aubin. The wine is aged in small barrel for eight months but no new oak is used.

Les Argillers sits on the upper reaches of the slope of Saint-Aubin, just south of Le Ban and bordering the forest with a south-southeast exposure. Prudhon farms two hectares of 30-to-60-year-old vines here, and the wine they produce tends to be snappy, mineral-driven and floral—less about Pinot Noir plushness and more about the freshness and drive of a cool-climate red wine, with considerable spice, excellent red fruit and subtle tannins; in sum, a classic version of this appellation.

Like the Perrieres in white, the Frionnes in red was the first of the 1er Cru Saint Aubins to be bottled for sale directly from the domaine in the early 1980s. The vines are from a one hectare parcel on a hillside vineyard situated between Saint Aubin and Gamay. The vine age is 50 years on average and the exposure is east-southeast. The Prudhons give this intensely fruity wine less aging in barrel (virtually no new oak) and bottle this cuvée just prior to the next year’s harvest.

This wine is produced from two separate parcels: one on a hillside above the hamlet of Gamay and the other from a parcel between Saint Aubin and Chassagne Montrachet. The average age of the vines is 50 years. A classic wine of this sector with compelling notes of animal and wild berries. The élevage is about 18 months before bottling; again, very little new oak is used.

This wine is from some of the oldest vines in the estate, planted between 45 and 85 years ago. The parcel is about 1.5 hectare in size and sits on a hillside between Saint Aubin and Gamay with an east-southeast exposure. There is an élevage of 15 to 18 months (with very little new oak used). Perhaps the most serious and complex of the red wines of the domaine with a character dominated by red fruits and spices supported by substantial backbone.

From a parcel of one-third of a hectare in the heart of Chassagne on the eastern side. The vines are 45 years old and they sit with an east-southeast exposure. The cuvaison is about two weeks long and the élevage lasts for 15 to 18 months. Very little new oak is used. This is an assertive wine with strong scents and flavors that tend to the “sous bois” and leather/animal; powerful with a solid backbone of tannins; a humble, honest and satisfying wine.