2020 Auxey Duresses Vieilles Vignes Domaine Prunier-Bonheur

The understated, indeed almost shy, Pascal Prunier-Bonheur is a 5th generation winemaker from Auxey-Duresses who is in charge of this 8 ha domaine where the production is divided half and half between reds and whites. Most of the production is from owned vines though there is a small négociant operation as well. Prunier-Bonheur could not have been more positive about the results of the 2020 vintage, calling it "the best that I have ever made. The wines are ripe, rich, concentrated, serious and powerful while being balanced by perfect levels of acidity that renders them a pleasure to drink already. We picked from the 23rd of August and the fruit was essentially spotless. Potential alcohols were reasonable though not low as the highest red came in at 13.9% and the whites were just over 13%. Yields were correct in that both colors ranged between 30 and 35 hl/ha. I used a small amount of whole clusters, meaning 10 to 15% while doing a very soft extraction as the thick skins would have made it almost too easy to over-extract. In my view, 2020 offers everything that anyone could reasonably want in either color."