2017 Domaine Pascal Prunier-Bonheur Monthelie Rouge 750 ml

The effects of baguettes and espresso were wearing off on day four of crushing back-to-back tastings through the long, winding roads of the route nationale in Burgundy. Pascal Prunier had barely started his tasting with us before sensing that we needed some fresh air. His Cheshire-cat grin filled his cheeks when he said in his French accent, "Lezz go zee thee vines." Looking south over Volnay, vines encircled the hill of Monthélie while our feet took some relief in the forgiving clay-limestone soils. 

Like an elixir of life, Pascal's Monthélie rouge struck us with uplifting sophistication and silky tannin. It's the type of Burgundy that makes you dream of undulating hills and fresh mushroom aromas long after your connecting flight back from Charles de Gaulle. The 2017 Maison Pascal Prunier-Bonheur Monthélie Rouge is top-class Pinot Noir competing for our hearts with Burgundian labels that are triple the price of this release. 

Our Burgundy crusade led us to many of the top names in the region (Remoissenet, Dujac, and Pousse d'Or, to name a few), but it's this sense of discovery inspires us to keep our heads in the game. A local sommelier tipped us to Pascal Prunier's estate in Meursault, emphasizing how Pascal manages to transform his organic eight-hectare estate into liquid genius. Although he is 5th generation in a family that breeds winemakers, he launched his own domaine with his wife Christine Bonheur with a mere 3 hectares in 1983. "Bonheur," which translates to happiness, is precisely where this red took us, with savory notes of tilled earth, game, and mushroom, supported by juicy strawberry, cherry compote, and crushed dried rose petal. 

Monthélie, which gets its name from the Latin word for hillside or little mountain, is a Côte de Beaune secret that borrows the roundness of Meursault with the seductive perfume of nearby Volnay. 2017 was a particularly charming vintage, described by James Suckling as "a vintage with plenty of fragrance, attractive fruit, lacy tannins, reasonably strong terroir character, and an overall air of transparency and approachability."

While the hefty savings on this bottle tempt us to call it a "Baby Burgundy," the pronounced structure and beautiful earthy notes deserve a place next to the most elegant Pinots from our visit. The Pascal Prunier-Bonheur Monthélie rouge is a breathtaking discovery from the spiritual home of Pinot Noir—at an equally breathtaking value.