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96 Robert Parker
The 2011 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has an exquisite bouquet that truly deserves the phrase “liquid mineral.” Imagine a limestone quarry being melted down and then distilled multiple times until there is just enough to fill your wine glass. The palate has perfect acidity and subtle spicy notes on the entry: hints of lime flower, citrus lemon and a subtle note of mandarin coming through with aeration. Is exhibits balletic poise on the finish – a sensational Corton-Charlemagne that just may turn out to be just as good as the 2010. Drink 2018-2035. As I had anticipated, Raphael Coche requested that I visit after he had clocked off for the day. No problem – I’d rather he focuses on the vines than appease the demands of us “pesky” wine writers. This was actually my first visit to the domaine, which seems odd because it is many moons since I first fell in love with Jean-Francois Coche’s wines at a memorable tasting in London in the late 1990s. Since then, Raphael, still in his early thirties, has deftly slipped into his father’s shoes. Tall and the spitting image of papa, I had been forewarned that Raphael can be reticent at times. On the contrary, he was refreshingly garrulous, chatting not only about his own wines but enthusing about Pomerol after I espied a dusty bottle of 1987 Petrus incongruously perched on the shelf. In my opinion, and indeed others’, Raphael has subtly tweaked the style and perhaps even improved on what was already a winning formula. Recent vintages seem more consistent, perhaps even more aligned with their respective terroirs. On this visit, we tasted through most of the domaine’s 2011s that had been bottled the previous spring and are currently on the market. Raphael spoke enthusiastically about the 2011 vintage and rightly so. There is a natural sensibility to these wines, an approachability that is not always evident in their wines, proceeding to compare them to the 2001 vintage. My experience of this domaine’s wines means that I am happy to put long drinking windows for even the village crus, which I often reward a decade in bottle. Personally, I have found less premature oxidation at this address than others, in particular with respect to younger vintages, though nobody is totally immune
Producer
Domaine Coche-Dury
Coche-Dury is not only one of the most iconic producers in all of Burgundy, but they are also one of the most enigmatic. It feels like a golden ticket is necessary to get through their cellar doors. They have no email and the only way one might be able to get an appointment is through a fax. Maybe. But doubtful. They are also incredibly humble. They know the greatness of their wines, but they are still simple 'vignerons'. What matters to them the most is working in the vines and allowing the grapes best express the terroir. Jean-François Coche, the patriarch of the domaine, began working with his father in the early 1970s. In 1975, he married Odile Dury which added to the family holdings, creating the name 'Coche-Dury'. Today, his son Raphaël has more or less taken over with the help of his young wife, Charline. From their almost 9 hectares of vines, they produce Bourgogne, Puligny-Montrachet, Auxey-Duresses, Monthélie, Volnay, and their two most famous appellations - Meursault (various bottlings) and Corton-Charlemagne. Unlike other producers of the region, they resisted much change and the way they make their wines now is the way that they have long produced them. They also like their wines to have verve so tend to pick earlier than later to keep the grapes innate acidity.