Ric arrives at Domaine Coche-Dury

The mere mention of Domaine Coche-Dury is enough to make even the most seasoned wine lover salivate. But how about a visit to this Holy Grail of Meursault? Established in the 1920s, this famous domaine really came into its own when Jean-Francois Coche took over from his father Georges in 1973, adding his wife’s family name of Dury to the wine. Nowadays, his son Raphael Coche, a good-looking tall slim energetic young man, has taken over the reins since the turn of the century, and it was Raphael who welcomed us to the cellars of this modest and unassuming estate at 6.00 PM on 23 October 2018 to taste through a selected line-up of its whites. Through a combination of blessed terroir and expert viticultural craftsmanship, the wines of Coche-Dury are synonymous with supreme power, elegance, exquisite intensity and delicacy. Indeed, throughout the tasting, I found myself reaching for the same superlatives. Such is the level of precision in the winemaking that even within its stable of Meursault wines of individual village lieu-dit, one is able to appreciate significant differences in character. If its bourgogne blanc alone is already capable of raising the bar to great heights, you can barely imagine the exalted standards of its other whites. Speaking only French (and he detests any photography during tasting, preferring that we concentrate fully on the wines), Raphael took us through the barrel tasting in quick time. After sending  us into orgasmic throes, Raphael generously fished out a mature bottle of red to round off the evening (one must not forget Coche-Dury makes splendid reds as well). A very big merci beaucoup Raphael, for your time and for granting us this unforgettable privilege.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Bourgogne. Striking bouquet of intense white fruits and citrus. Excellent in concentration and presence, revealing great definition, detail and layering that is totally unprecedented for a bourgogne, finishing with great linearity. What is bourgogne for Coche-Dury is really grand cru for many others.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault. Reticent. Slightly reductive on the palate but this wine is immensely structured with great concentration of fruit, definition and detail, absolutely compelling in its controlled intensity and sublime acidity that conferred superb mouthfeel, finishing with great power and persistence. Gorgeous.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Narvaux. Great expression and purity of white fruits and citrus, rounded with superb mouthfeel, displaying exquisite intensity, detail and layering with absolute freshness enhanced by its slightly forward balance, finishing with traces of incense. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Rougeots. Reserved tone of white fruits, revealing a lovely elegance in its poised unfettered expression aided by sublime acidity and seamless integration with a solid core of intense white citrus, finishing well.

2017 Domaine Coche-DuryMeursault Les Chevalieres. Rich creamy tonal textures on the nose matched by an equally magnificent minerally tone on the palate, displaying superb balance and sublime acidity, finishing with understated intensity. Yet to fully flesh out but its powerful lifted bouquet is truly mesmerising.

Raphael Coche

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Les Caillerets 1er. Lifted tones of white floral fragrance and white fruits. Quite full on the palate, displaying great balance and elegance with a deeper understated intensity of fruit that is superbly integrated with sublime minerality and quiet acidity, finishing with a persistent minerally glow. Superb.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Genevrieres 1er. Intense white fruits with a lovely floral fragrance leading to a superb concentration of complex citrus and almonds. Beautifully layered with so much richness and tight detail, yet supremely elegant and integrated, displaying great refinement and controlled power. Outstanding.

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Perrieres 1er. Complex bouquet of intense citrus, nutmeg and white pepper. Rather full. Great concentration of fruit with superb sublime acidity, displaying great precision and refined intensity. Supreme purity and expression. Magical!

2017 Domaine Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru. Highly exuberant nose of rounded white fruits and floral tones with a dash of white pepper. Wonderfully layered with superb balance, precision and sophistication though rather understated in intensity. Seamlessly coherent with supreme power and confidence. Everything is present in great proportion and balance as a single entity such that you cannot pick out any individual strand. Little wonder that this wine fetches astronomical prices. C’est magnifique !

1999 Domaine Coche-Dury Auxey-Duresses. Still superb in colour, this red exuded a complex kaleidoscope of cedar, cinnamon, sweet incense, ripe cherries and rose petals on the nose, superbly seductive. The palate is layered with great definition of complex red fruits with a generous ample bloom, yet gentle and open and supremely integrated with nothing out of place. A splendid expression of pinot noir. Magnificent.