Despite Prunier’s family history in Burgundy, it wasn’t until 1983 that he and his wife, Christine Bonheur, started their own domaine with just 3 hectares of rented vines. Now, their Meursault-based domaine includes 8 hectares of vineyards spread around the Côte de Beaune. Pascal strives for organic viticulture, employing other treatments only in emergencies, and the winemaking is pointedly “non-interventionist.” Hand-harvested fruit is entirely destemmed, then cold soaked for 3-8 days. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel with entirely indigenous yeast. The Auxey-Duresses ages for 15-18 months in 10-20% new French oak, while the Beaune Premier Cru Les Sizies ages for a similar period, with slightly more (25%) new oak employed. This moderate oak influence, along with minimal filtration, results in great purity of fruit expression. Both wines have a soft, supple texture (aided by a bit of bottle age) and a delicate, refined impact on the palate. And yet there’s structure there, too—great mineral savor and bright acid are in good supply for further aging.

 

The 2010 Auxey-Duresses drinks well above its village-level classification. Much of this blend is declassified fruit from a Premier Cru climat called “du Val,” with the remainder sourced from two nearby village-level parcels. Roughly a third of the vines were planted in 1966 while the remainder was planted in 1976. The aromatic nose offers layers of blackberry preserve, wild raspberry, a touch of strawberry, damp forest, a kiss of tree bark, damp cellar and a hint of exotic spice. The silken, smooth palate is reminiscent of Volnay and evolves to deliver earthy complexity and structure on the mid-palate; it finishes with great length and that irresistible essence of fine Burgundy. This wine is delicious now after about 30-60 minutes in a decanter, but, as is typical of 2010s, it’s got the stuffing to go at least a decade more.

 

The 2009 “Les Sizies” Premier Cru hails from a small parcel just south of the walled village of Beaune, among the cluster of Premiers Crus on the Pommard side of the village. Prunier purchased the old-vine parcel from the revered Hospices de Beaune in 1990 and the southeast-facing site, blessed with argovian marl and limestone soil, makes for a wine of high-toned, pristine fruit with all the majesty of neighboring Pommard. The classic aromatics are full of bright red and black berries, mushroom, tree bark, a touch of crushed stones and a spicy savor that channels Pommard. This wine is also reflective of its (warm) vintage, offering lots of pleasure now after a brief decanting. Of the two, this is the wine I’d drink first, served at around 60 degrees in Burgundy stems. Pair it with something woodsy, like the attached recipe for porcini mushroom soup (not exactly that season, but something to look forward to). These are authentic, old-school Burgundies with a seamless mix of fruit and earth—eat accordingly!