A bargain burgundy

It's not often that you can drink premier cru burgundy, or even burgundy for that matter, for £12 a bottle, especially not from a well established producer such as Henri Prudhon et fils. So, when I stumbled across this oxymoron of a bargain burgundy, I snapped up a case without hesitation.

St-Aubin has an excellent reputation for producing very good whites that at their best can give Puligny-Montrachet more than a run for its money. But what about the reds? Having never tried a St-Aubin rouge before, I was eager to see if the reds can match the whites, particularly a premier cru wine such as this.

The Prudhons farm 1.24 hectares of 55 year old pinot noir vines in 'Sur le Sentier du Clou', a steep, south facing vineyard to the east of St-Aubin, above 'les Perrieres'...

For a region that markets itself on the uniqueness of terroir, the Prudhon website has a nice way of showing each of their vineyards, with a photo marked with the chardonnay and pinot noir plots in each vineyard...

St-Aubin, 1er cru Sur le Sentier du Clou, Henri Prudhon et fils, 2007

Appearance:  translucent with tawny rim

Nose: doesn't give much away

Palette: light (strawberies, cherries, cloves...) but feisty with a deeper vanilla core (this must be the oak?) with light sappy tannins. Definitely a summer wine.

Conclusion: not a bad wine, but too light for my taste with plenty of character but not enough fruit. An overly hasty purchase perhaps? 3* 6/10