100% Chardonnay

Food pairings: Delicious on its own as an aperitif, or with fish in sauce such as pike quenelles or seared scallops; adventurous pairings include a good goat cheese or a blue cheese.

Winemaking: The grapes are pressed and fermented at low temperature, then aged 12 to 15 months in 228 and 350-liter barrels, 10 to 20% of them new, with light fining and filtration; racking and bottling follow the lunar calendar. The vines are farmed with sustainable, organic methods. 2022 was the vintage everyone hoped for: a late budbreak escaped the spring frosts, and a hot, sunny summer with just enough rain gave whites that are full and generous on the attack yet keep a fresh, mineral finish.

Vineyards and terroir: The cuvée comes from two parcels of vines more than 60 years old, planted in the 1950s on the east-facing slope of the Combe d'Auxey-Duresses, where Chardonnay thrives in the morning sun. Fine marly soil with veins of magnesian limestone and traces of lava give a depth and elegance that announce the neighboring terroir of Meursault.

Family and history: Pascal Prunier, born in Auxey-Duresses into a well-known family of vignerons, set up on his own in 1983, before he was 20, with 3 hectares of rented vines. In 1999 he married Christine Bonheur and the domaine became Prunier-Bonheur. Based in Meursault, it now farms parcels in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses, Meursault, Monthelie, Pommard and Beaune, guided by three words: passion, respect and humility.

In the pictures: The vignerons of Domaine Prunier-Bonheur in their vineyards; the domaine in Meursault; and barrels in the cellar (photos courtesy of Domaine Prunier-Bonheur).