Usually when we talk about Saint-Aubin here on SommSelect, we’re celebrating one of the village’s many “baby Montrachets”—those amazingly well-priced white Burgundies from Montrachet-adjacent vineyards like “En Remilly” or “Les Cortons.” But today we’re sounding the trumpets for one of Saint-Aubin’s reds, which are less frequently seen but, in this case, no less impressive—especially in the value-for-dollar department!
The Saint-Aubin Premier Cru “Les Frionnes” sits on a slope that stretches between the village of Saint-Aubin and the nearby hamlet of Gamay, and like several other sites along this stretch, it is planted to white and red grapes alike. Today’s 2015 is a luscious, soul-stirring Pinot Noir of unmistakable pedigree, but because it hails from Saint-Aubin, and the stalwart Domaine Prudhon, it can be had for a song. Not only is ’15 an especially generous vintage, the Prudhon family relies on 45-year-old vines in Les Frionnes to craft a red of serious depth and dimension. You’ll look like a genius for buying it, but that’s just a bonus: The real reward is the delicious wine in the glass!
[**PLEASE NOTE: This wine is available as a pre-offer and will take 2-3 weeks to arrive in our warehouse before it can be shipped.]
As in neighboring Chassagne-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin has some beguiling reds hidden among its many big-ticket whites. There are about 32 hectares of Pinot Noir planted across Saint-Aubin, including 23 hectares in Premier Crus, compared to 131 hectares (98 Premier Cru) of Chardonnay. And whether it is red wine or white, Domaine Henri Prudhon is arguably the flagship property of the village. The estate’s vineyard holdings, built up over generations, now total 14.5 hectares, and while there are now a few bottlings from Chassagne and Puligny, Prudhon has Saint-Aubin fully covered—they produce a dozen Saint-Aubin wines, including seven Premier Cru whites and three Premier Cru reds.
The domaine namesake, Henri Prudhon, established the family estate in 1945, building it around inherited vines from both his own family and his wife’s. His son, Gérard, ushered in a new era of estate-bottling in the 1980s, and now it is Gérard’s two sons, Vincent and Philippe, who run the show. Their plot in Les Frionnes adds up to a little under a hectare facing east/southeast, in a site known for being cool and wind-whipped, like others along the same slope. It’s a unique cru in that it produces noteworthy whites (from big names like Hubert Lamy) and reds alike. As with the other Premier Cru reds in the Prudhon lineup, this one sees very little new oak; it is subjected to a slightly shorter élevage (aging period) than the others, however, and is known as the most forwardly fruity and finessed of the group.
In the glass, the ’15 Les Frionnes is invitingly plush and delicious but also precise and loaded with complexity. It shines a bright ruby-garnet in the glass with perfumed aromas of black cherry, red currant, raspberry, black tea, rose petals, and underbrush. This is über-classic red Burgundy, medium-plus in body but full of racy freshness, with lots of aromatic persistence on the palate. It will continue to improve over the next 5-7 years, but there’s no reason not to get some on the table as soon as possible: Decant it about 30 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees and you’ll be one satisfied Pinot Noir drinker. Pair this with something rustic and comforting and savor every sip. Cheers!
