Domaine Henri Prudhon Saint-Aubin Les Perrieres Premier Cru 2019
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This half hectare parcel of 35-year-old vines also sits to the north- east 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 Perrie`res is an ample wine with formidable complexity.
The domaine was established by Henri Prudhon who was born and raised as a vigneron in the village of Saint Aubin since his birth in 1921. He and his wife, Marguerite, combined forces upon their marriage in 1945, putting their small vineyard holdings together to form the Domaine Henri Prudhon. Monsieur Prudhon was a force in his village, serving for many years as the Mayor of this lovely hamlet set just to the west of Puligny and Chassagne along Route Nationale 6. Their son, Gerard, born in 1949, joined the family enterprise and it was Gerard who decided, in the early years of the 1980s, to begin bottling the wines of the estate rather than selling off the fruits of their labors to the local negociants. Gerard, too, maintains the family’s interest in the affairs of the village, being elected multiple times Mayor of Saint Aubin. Gerard’s two sons, Vincent and Philippe, have now taken over the direction of the domaine, working under the watchful eye of Gerard who has instilled in his children the deep respect for the finest of Burgundian traditions.
They had the good fortune of appearing on the scene simultaneously with the expansion of the domaine and the decision to bottle and market the wines at the estate. Thus, the Prudhons have been their principal source for the wines of Saint Aubin from the outset of their career. Fortunately, Gerard Prudhon also increased the family holdings and expanded into the neighboring villages of Chassagne Montrachet and Puligny Montrachet which enabled them to increase their coverage in this sector of the Cote de Beaune. It is a particular pleasure to work with the Prudhon family. Their vineyard holdings in Saint Aubin are significant and, as a result, working with virtually the entire range of their wines enables them to develop a profound understanding of the tantalizing terroir of Saint Aubin and to display it in both red and white wines. If one bemoans the fact that so much of Burgundy is dear, then one has only to settle into this delightful geographical niche of Saint Aubin and indulge in the wines of this modest but oh-so-competent family to discover exceptional value.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A steep, upcountry basin (referred to as a combe in French) in the southern end of the Côte de Beaune, St. Aubin is a direct westerly neighbor to Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. Recent years have seen a boom in white wine production so that now Chardonnay accounts for more than three quarters of area under vine here. Two thirds of St. Aubin is classified Premier Cru (30 total vineyards); most notable include Les Charmois, La Chatenière, En Remilly and Les Murgers Dents de Chie. The Premiers Crus of St. Aubin, wrapping like a ribbon upon the southeast and southwest facing slopes, produce fresh and elegant whites from Chardonnay. When young, these tout a refreshing grip and convey qualities of white flowers, citrus, pear, green almond and wet stone. Given some age, a graceful evolution occurs so that older St. Aubin whites express richer aromas of beeswax, honey, marzipan and spice.