Cote de Beaune Wines

wines

I was blown away by the power, verve and soil-driven complexity of Coche-Dury’s 2001 Corton-Charlemagne. Full yellow in color, it’s approaching maturity but shows every sign of a continuing graceful evolution in bottle. Its vibrant apple, citrus peel and brown spice aromas and flavors have been joined by deeper notes of brioche, white truffle and porcini. This wonderfully tactile, plush wine boasts compelling sweetness leavened by lively acidity, and the musky, minerally, slowly building finish begs for a side of crustaceans.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 2001 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is a rather exotic rendition of this great wine, revealing an expressive bouquet of peach, white currants, apricot preserve, oatmeal and a light framing of toasty new oak, bearing the signatures of the botrytis that marked the vintage. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, bright and ample, as structurally open-knit as the 2000 vintage but more powerful, textural and large-scaled. Like the 2000, it’s also drinking at its peak. The 2001 is a comparatively gourmand rendition of Coche’s Corton-Charlemagne that would pair well with traditional cuisine bourgeois.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP(Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White) This has always exhibited a deep yellow color. In contrast to a lovely bottle that I enjoyed several years ago, the one in the tasting was clearly advanced with distinct notes of butterscotch. There was good minerality and verve to the broad-shouldered flavors and the advanced character remained only on the nose. As such, this was at least drinkable but the nose was definitely bothersome. Not Rated. My review from May, 2007 was: Like some (but not all) ’01s, there was a pronounced deep yellow color but absolutely no trace of oxidation to the nicely complex and slightly oaky nose that leads to rich, full and beautifully defined flavors that are drinking well now though should continue to develop positively, all wrapped in a long and stylish finish. Compared to the heights to which this wine routinely ascends, the ’01 is a very good but not truly great Corton-Charlemagne. Approachable now but it should hold at this level for several more years so there is no rush.Burghound | 92 BH

Delivering aromas of crisp orchard fruit, buttered toast, citrus oil, hazelnuts and smoke, Coche’s 2004 Meursault Village is a medium-bodied, fine-boned wine, with terrific concentration, tangy acids and chalky structuring extract. It remains very youthful in a white Burgundy vintage which is often beginning to be quite evolved at other addresses, but that will come as no surprise to admirers of this domaine.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP(Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury Meursault Villages White) (with thanks to Herwig Janssen). Soft mineral reduction does not materially detract from the green fruit, citrus, stone and slightly smoky nose that introduces detailed, pure and attractively intense middle weight flavors that possess excellent vibrancy on the taut, linear and refined finish. This isn’t quite as complex or concentrated as the ’02 version (see herein) but the sheer persistence is most impressive. And in the same fashion as the 2002, this has reached an inflection point of maturity where it could be enjoyed now or held for a few more years depending on how one prefers aged white burgs. For my taste, I would hold this for another 2 to 4 years but many people will find the current state of maturity to be perfect now.Burghound | 91 BH(from Narvaux; cuvee destined for the U.S. market) Very ripe aromas of candied lemon peel and nectarine. Fat, sweet and ripe, offering considerable early appeal. Very Meursault in character, from redder soil.Vinous Media | 90 VM

It’s been two years since I tasted my last bottle, and Jean-François Coche’s 2008 Meursault Village is only getting better, unfurling in the glass with aromas of crisp green pear, citrus oil, sesame, hazelnuts and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, deep and incisive, it’s tensile and concentrated, with racy acids, terrific mid-palate volume and a long, penetrating finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP(Narvaux; Coche bottles a few different cuvees of Meursault villages, normally noting the lieu-dit only on the back label; this wine was bought by the U.S. importer) Peach and white flowers on the nose; a real essence of Meursault perfume. Then creamy-rich and sweet, with soft citrus flavors dominating. Finishes with lovely lingering sweetness of fruit. Ridiculously sexy village wine.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2009 Meursault is similarly rich and tropical, but also comes across as quite young next to the 2002, which is an ever-present reminder of how these wines can age. Although the 2009 is gorgeous, if I owned it, I would try to give it more time in bottle.Antonio Galloni | 92 AGThe 2009 Meursault Villages is drinking brilliantly, wafting from the glass with a beautiful nose of preserved citrus, crisp peach, nougat and honeysuckle. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, layered and elegantly textural—glossier and more sweetly sun-kissed than the 2008 drank alongside it but bright and precise nonetheless, with beautiful energy and delineation on the finish. Given its profile, I suspect this was Coche’s bottling from Vireuils of Luchets rather than Narvaux, but he makes no indication on the label.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP(Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury Meursault Villages White) A pretty, ripe and very Meursault nose of both white and yellow orchard fruit, hazelnut and a gentle touch of wood toast leads to delicious, round, concentrated and quite generous flavors that possess excellent depth and length, particularly for a villages level wine. (Drink starting 2016)Burghound | 90 BH

Tasted in 2021, this 2010 Meursault is still showing a bit of wood over the brightly youthful citrus fruit with nuances of hazelnut and creamery butter. It is an intensely structured wine with incredible freshness. This is a luxurious wine of immense potential, yet still not yet fully ready to drink. Try it in another five years and drink it over the following 20. Superb Meursault from an exceptional producer in a landmark year. (Drink between 2022-2045)Decanter | 96 DEC(from Vireuils-Dessous): Aromas of orange oil and wet stone. Juicy on entry, then rather strict in the middle, showing noteworthy power and tension, not to mention terrific precision of stone fruit and citrus flavors. Not yet expansive; in fact, this village wine is the closest 2010 to austere today. Owing to the low volume of grapes in 2010, Coche-Dury used 15% new oak here, vs. a normal 10%. (If you see the 2010 Bourgogne Blanc, but it: with its leesy, spicy pineapple and orange blossom flavors, its rather powerful mid-palate and its whiplash of a finish, it’s better than many Meursault botlings).Vinous Media | 92 VM(Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault Villages White) Here there is a completely different aromatic profile with its hazelnut, grilled almond, acacia blossom and yellow orchard fruit scents. There is excellent volume to the somewhat more generously proportioned flavors that are not quite as refined though I very much like the mineral character on the lemony, bone dry and borderline strict finish. This linear effort will definitely need time to unwind and flesh out on the finale. (Drink starting 2018).Burghound | 90 BHThe 2010 Meursault (Narvaux) is a gorgeous wine endowed with crystalline purity, fabulous depth and great overall balance. The long, pure finish makes it hard to move on to the next wine. As always, the Narvaux is one of several parcels that is bottled simply as Meursault, so readers will have to ask their supplier the exact provenance of their village-level Coche Meursault. Anticipated maturity: 2015+.(Not yet released)Jean-Francois Coche’s 2010s have turned out just as I hoped they would, which is to say the wines are breathtaking. On average, yields were down 40%, so these already highly coveted, rare wines are going to be even more impossible to find than usual. Coche is adamant that opening his top 2010s before age ten is a total waste, something he repeated a few times during my visit. Accordingly, Coche doesn’t plan on releasing the Corton-Charlemagne for another few years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The 2012 Meursault (my sample taken from their parcel in Chaumes) has a relatively austere bouquet at first, withholding its charm and then teasing with granitic, cold stone scents. The palate is very well balanced with a fine line of acidity and then it fans out in languid fashion with the delicately spicy finish. This is sophisticated and refined.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NM(from Vireuils-Dessous; in the latter part of its malolactic fermentation): Sexy aromas of orange oil and brown spices. Bright and penetrating, with peach and soft citrus flavors firmed on the tactile back end by saline minerality. Really excellent texture and length for village wine. (Incidentally, don’t hesitate to snap up Coche’s 2012 Bourgogne Blanc if you can find it. This ripe, fruit-driven wine, from rocky soil around Coche’s house, is as good as most Meursault village wines. The very rich, tactile, classic Meursault Narvaux, which is usually sent to the U.S., was just at the beginning of its malo, and the Rougeot hadn’t even started at the end of May).Vinous Media | 89-91 VMThere are very mild hints of match stick and exoticism to the ripe and fresh nose of mostly yellow orchard fruit aromas that are liberally laced with floral and hazelnut nuances. There is excellent volume and outstanding concentration to the vibrant and extract-rich medium weight flavors that possess fine depth on the balanced and highly persistent citrus-inflected finish that displays a deft application of wood. This is a terrific villages and the altitude of the vineyard definitely helps the sense of vibrancy. (Drink starting 2019)Burghound | 90 BH

The 2016 Meursault 1er Cru Perrières is the most distinctive wine in the range, unfurling in the glass with notes of lemon oil, crushed chalk, tart green apple, dried white flowers and struck flint. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, elegantly satiny and searingly intense, with tangy acids, huge concentration and the pronouncedly mineral, stony signature that always seems to mark out this bottling. Along with Genevrières, Coche’s parcel in Perrières was largely spared by the 2016 frosts. Given its utterly classic profile, a dozen years’ patience is advised.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RP(Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault "Les Perrières" 1er Cru White) Here too there is plenty of floral influence to the airy but impressively dense aromas of various white orchard fruit, citrus, oyster shell and mineral reduction-suffused nose. Like several wines in the range in 2016, the medium weight plus flavors are not only almost painfully intense but overtly powerful with outstanding minerality that really surfaces on the driving and superbly complex finale. I usually prefer the Corton-Charlemagne in most vintages but 2016 may ultimately prove to be an exception. Either way, both are superb wines and if you can find, and afford, them I unreservedly recommend buying them. (Drink starting 2031).Burghound | 96 BH(Meursault “Perrières” - Domaine Coche-Dury) There was not a whole lot of frost damage in Perrières as well in 2016, so this wine chez Coche has also turned out very classical in personality. The bouquet is stunning and still quite youthful, offering up scents of apple, pear, stony minerality, iodine, hazelnuts, orange zest and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full and racy in profile, with a superb core of fruit, brilliant soil signature, snappy acids and a very, long, complex and laser-like finish. Domaine Coche-Dury has made the reference point example of Perrières for as long as I can remember and their 2016 is once again, the stuff of legend! (Drink between 2023-2060).John Gilman | 96+ JG(from what Raphaël Coche described as perfect grapes, untouched by frost): Penetrating scents of crushed stone and lemon; classic Perrières! Smooth and very dense on the palate, with its flavors of crushed rock, lemon, lime, underripe pineapple, flowers and saline minerality showing great inner-mouth tension. This, too, boasts terrific dry extract. Finishes with extraordinary sappiness and rising length, like an electric shock to the palate. This wonderfully juicy, digestible wine spreads out horizontally to excite the taste buds.Vinous Media | 95+ VM