Rue Less Traveled. Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet get most of the white Burgundy press. But surrounding towns can offer excellent value. Many whites from St-Aubin and Santenay punch way above their weight, as does today’s white Burgundy from Auxey-Duresses.
Auxey-Duresses is often overlooked, a town set in the crook of a bucolic valley just west of Meursault. Master of Wine Clive Coates calls Michel Prunier “certainly the best grower” in the town, though Monsieur Prunier himself is humble, welcoming, and kind. At barely 5 feet tall, he perfectly fits the charming, small-town Burgundian feel of the region.
Summertime Treat. Prunier’s Auxey Duresses blanc 2013 is lively and pretty. The nose is simply gorgeous, showing elderflower and lemon rind with a whisper of carefully-integrated oak. There’s the fullness and roundness you expect from high-elevation Meursault, with perhaps a bit more youthful exuberance.
This should drink well for another few years, but it’s awfully drinkable today. Try it with tuna or swordfish, and let it breathe for a half hour before serving. Sometimes a particularly grand moment calls for a white Burgundy from the Big Three. But for Burgundy lovers with a nose for value, we can’t recommend this enough.
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PRUNIER Auxey-Duresses blanc 2013
Ansonia Retail: $38
case, half-case: $32/bot
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AVAILABLE IN 6- AND 12- BOTTLE LOTS
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or call Tom: (617) 249-3657
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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale. All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts. Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.