Among the Best Values in ANY Vintage: Domaine Henri Prudhon
Posted on: 05/1/18 8:08 PM
Domaine Henri Prudhon had been an under-the radar secret for decades. A mainstay of the Rosenthal portfolio, Prudhon was always a solid bet for value. It still is. However, St. Aubin has been on something of a wild ride in the last decade. In the ‘80s, St. Aubin was a Burgundy backwater, often overlooked and seldom considered worth exploration. Sure stalwart traditionalists like Prudhon and Langoureau produced lovely wines, but few people noticed. Only aficionados and geeks snapped up cases at pennies on the dollar and enjoyed some pretty stylish daily drinkers.
Then in the early 2000s, as prices began to steadily rise, St Aubin became more and more fashionable. At the same time you had rock-star winemakers emerge from the appellation. First it was Domaine Hubert Lamy, then Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey (PYCM). All of a sudden, St. Aubin was the home of the greatest values of Burgundy.
Today, St. Aubin ranks among the outright fashionable, even if it is no longer offering such amazing values – Lamy and PYCM often sell for $70+.
Nonetheless, the Prudhons have continued on, as they always have, producing some of Burgundy’s best values, with pricing that has not yet exploded as has their peers. Yes, Lamy and PYCM offer flashier wines of greater intensity and opulence. Many people compare their efforts to great Chassagne or Meursault. But these growers are in St. Aubin. Prudhon’s wines still taste of St. Aubin.
There is no pushing of extract or intensity. No. The wines are decidedly medium bodied, tensile, mineral and long. You know, just how St. Aubin should be.
“The quality that this domaine consistently achieves is nothing short of remarkable.” – Allen Meadows on Domaine Henri Prudhon
I have deep respect for the Prudhons. And I always buy everything offered from Neal Rosenthal from this gem of a Domaine. There’s always a lot of wine, but not much of anything in particular. Long and short of it? Prepare for some disappointment – there’s just not much available.
Nonetheless, what is available is very much worth owning. These wines are spectacular weekday Burgundies and rank among my favorite wine for drinking young. When you’re not spending $300 for a bottle, it’s a lot easier to simply enjoy what you’re drinking, and, well, these are damned enjoyable!
2015/2014 Domaine Henri Prudhon
Les Blancs:
2015 Saint Aubin Blanc 1er Cru “Les Castets”
2015 Saint Aubin Blanc 1er Cru “Sur le Sentier du Clou”
2015 Saint Aubin Blanc 1er Cru “La Chatenière”
2015 Saint Aubin Blanc 1er Cru “En Remilly”
Les Rouges:
2014 Saint Aubin Rouge “Les Argillers”
2014 Saint Aubin Rouge 1er Cru “Les Frionnes”
2014 Saint Aubin Rouge 1er Cru “Sur le Sentier du Clou” Vieilles Vignes
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