What a welcome relief Domaine Pascal Prunier-Bonheur’s Auxey-Duresses "Le Crais" is: to put it simply, this is elite level white Burgundy, qualitatively on par with the most heralded estates in the Côte d’Or. But unlike those hallowed names, it remains within reach of the average wine drinker. Tense, incomprehensibly mineral, underlain with golden fruit richness, “Le Crais” will scratch the white Burgundy itch for even the most exacting collector. Long gone are the days when simply looking to “lesser” appellations like Auxey-Duresses would yield value-laden returns. For one thing, such villages are no longer lesser; in the era of climate change, the lines between elite and average terroir have been blurred. For another, winemakers like Pascal Prunier-Bonheur are almost too talented, coaxing headspinning beauty from sites the older generation would’ve passed over. The only hope now is to get in on the ground floor before the rest of the world catches onto the profundity of a producer like Pascal. A bottle this good won’t stay at this price forever. Get it while you can!
The Pruniers are arguably the most important family in Auxey-Duresses. You’ll see the name on at least five different domaine’s labels. And while it isn’t always clear just what everyone’s relation to each other is, it’s clear that the fact that this little village is on the viticultural map is thanks to the Pruniers. Pascal is the fifth generation of the clan, and knew from the start he wanted to be a winemaker. He attended viticultural school in Beaune, and at the young age of 20 settled down to start his estate. He rented only three hectares of vines to begin with, but his estate now covers roughly eight hectares. Pascal is a master of crafting heady wines from humble terroirs; his holdings stretch across such less-heralded villages as Saint-Romain, Monthelie, and of course Auxey.
Auxey-Duresses has long been overshadowed by its neighbors Volnay and Meursault. For much of Burgundy’s history, it was thought to produce wines not unlike its neighbors, but with a little less depth and body. Ever-warmer vintages, though, have changed that.
It’s tucked away in a little valley on the western edge of the Côte de Beaune, its vineyards butting up against the high-elevation Haute-Côtes sites. But the best sites here, like “Les Crais” have all the hallmarks of prime Burgundy terroir, such as southeastern exposure and limestone soils. Nowadays, in the hands of a winemaker as skilled as Pascal Prunier, a bottle of Auxey-Duresses feels on the same level as one from Puligny or Meursault.
Pascal’s Auxey-Duresses “Les Crais” is special stuff indeed. His vines here average over 60 years of age, and they’re located in a particularly limestone-rich portion of the vineyard. He presses the fruit whole cluster then ferments in 15% new barrels with ambient yeasts. The wine then ages for up to 15 months in barrel before Pascal transfers to tank for another 3 months and bottles. If that protocol sounds familiar, it should. It’s the one practiced by legends like Jean-Marc Roulot and Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, and Pascal’s wines show a similar balance of rich depth and scintillating structure. The nose burst from the glass with crushed oyster shells, pulverized chalk, pear skin, hazelnuts, beeswax, and a veneer of that iconic struck-match reduction almost every great white Burgundy carries these days. It’s tensile and pulsing on the palate, leaning into the limestone-derived minerality with some citrus fruits and green apple tones coming through. And the finish is minutes-long, staining your palate with pure rocky presence. You’ll be hard pressed to keep your hands off of it now, but give it a few years and we wager “Les Crais” will become a transcendental experience. By then, “Les Crais” will probably be outrageously expensive. Best to go deep now!
