Michel Prunier et Fille

Our first visit to Prunier in July of 2022 was simply a delight. The Prunier’s are among the nicest, most welcoming vigneron families you can find in Burgundy.

At the helm of the estate are Estelle, who returned to the estate in 2004 after completing studies in Mâcon and several stages abroad, and her father Michel, who’s “working on his retirement” well into his 70s. Both seem to enjoy the partnership — it’s loose in the building, though buttoned-up to the top. The level of focus is high and the know-how speaks through the wines.

Auxey-Duresses is a beautiful little village tucked away into the Côte de Beaune behind Meursault. The family owns continuous plots directly behind the winery with vines as old as 85 years along with some smaller holdings in Meursault, Chorey-les-Beaune, Beaune and Pommard.

Estelle tends to the vines sustainably by leaving cover crops between the rows, thereby introducing competition and preventing erosion on the hillsides. Organic products to treat mildew and odium are used although the estate is not certified. Above all, Estelle reasons, “If ripe and clean fruit is the priority, the rest figures itself out.”

In the cellar, vinifications are traditional. Whites ferment in a mix of small barrels and the reds in stainless steel with varying amounts of whole clusters  depending on the site and vintage. The wines age up to 18 months in barrel with only as much 25 percent new oak employed.

These are tame and precisely made wines that speak to their climats d’origine.