HISTORY OF DOMAINE: Gerard Prudhon is the current scion of the Prudhon family. The Prudhons are perhaps the family with the oldest and deepest roots in the tiny village of Saint Aubin. In fact, both Gerard and his father, Henri, have served as mayors of this wine-immersed community lying immediately to the west of Puligny and Chassagne. Despite their long history as "vignerons" in Saint Aubin, it was only in 1980 that the Prudhons began to bottle their own wine. Now almost the entirety of the harvest is bottled under their own label.

COMPOSITION OF DOMAINE: The Prudhons have 13 hectares in vines (60% in Pinot Noir and 40% in Chardonnay). The appellations produced range from the simple Bourgogne Aligote and Bourgogne Rouge & Blanc, through village wines from Saint Aubin, Chassagne, and Puligny, up to 1er Crus in red and white from each of the 3 previously cited communes. Within the confines of St. Aubin, the Prudhons produce four whites: a St. Aubin Blanc blended from 3 separate parcels, and 1er Crus from "Perrieres" and "Chatenieres" and "Sur Gamay"; and four reds: a village wine plus 1er Crus from "Frionnes", Sur Le Sentier Du Clou" (a parcel of 50 year old vines) and "Sur Gamay". Further, this extremely conscientious domaine provides us with Puligny Montrachet "Les Enseignieres" (a parcel situated just below Batard Montrachet) and Chassagne Montrachet Blanc 1er Cru "Chenevottes" as well as a full-bodied, rustic Chassagne Montrachet Rouge.

METHOD OF VINIFICATION: Harvest is done manually. The whites are fermented and aged in barrel and generally are exposed to about 15% new oak. However, the St. Aubin 1er Cru "Perrieres" normally is aged in 25% new barrels. The majority of the whites are bottled just prior to the succeeding year's harvest but the Chassagne "Chenevottes" is usually kept in barrel for an additional 6 months. During fermentation, the red wines undergo a "pigeage" twice daily in addition to a single daily "remontage". Malolactic fermentation occurs in barrel. The St. Aubin 1er Cru "Frionnes", the fruitiest and most feminine of the reds, is bottled earliest (during the following September) while the bulk of the reds remain in barrel for an additional 6 months. Gerard Prudhon, with his son, Vincent, produces honest wines of extremely good value.