Burgundy is a region defined by location: your vineyard is either in the right place or it isn’t. While this has held true for centuries, climate change has moved the boundaries. Vineyards deemed too high on the slope to ripen fully are now getting ideal sun exposure, and the trees that may have shaded them too much in the past are now protecting them from the worst of hail and rain. One of the villages that has always been a “if you know, you know” location is Saint-Aubin, directly adjacent to far more famous (and pricey) Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
In Saint-Aubin, Domaine Henri Prudhon is an icon. He was born there in 1921 and he and his wife, Marguerite, grew grapes and sold them to the top estates of neighboring Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. That changed in 1983, when oldest son Gerard decided to keep their grapes and make the wine themselves. Their holdings are extensive and showcase some of the finest plots in the area. When these wines were offered to me, I took everything – every bottle – that Minnesota received because finding wines of this quality for these prices has been nearly impossible lately. Bear in mind this was not a lot of wine; some were only 3 bottles each.