Domaine Coche Dury Meursault 2017 (1x 750mL) France

The Coche-Dury estate was founded in the inter-war years, and was greatly expanded from 1964 onwards, when Georges, Jean-François’s father, set about increasing the vineyard holdings and selling more wine in bottle rather than selling in bulk to merchant firms. Jean-François Coche-Dury continued this policy after inheriting the estate in 1972. Yet when he buys a vineyard plot he uses the occasion to divest himself of a less well-situated one, his aim being to have vineyards of the very highest quality rather than to expand the estate.Nowadays, Jean-François Coche-Dury runs the domaine with the help of his son Raphael.

At 10.5 hectares Domaine Coche-Dury is relatively small; 9 hectares lie in Meursault, while the remaining plots are in Pommard, Monthélie, Auxey-Duresses, Puligny-Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne. Total production is some 60,000 bottles.Work in the vineyard comprises the usual activities, but is carried out with great care and attention to detail. The utmost importance is attached to limiting yields by pruning, which is carried out with great meticulousness. In the cellar the wine-making is absolutely traditional, and here again the same close attention to detail is given. After a gentle pressing and being left to settle, the wines are fermented in barrel. For the top wines half the barrels are renewed each year. The lees are stirred regularly during the twenty months’ barrel-ageing and the wines are racked twice before being bottled by hand, unfiltered.

The resulting wines are extraordinarily pure and fresh, and have great ageing potential. The Corton-Charlemagne is already legendary, and it is very difficult to buy any. The Meursaults also are very rare and absolutely delicious. As well as these great white wines, Jean-François Coche-Dury makes some remarkable reds, beautifully pure and aromatic, a remarkable expression of Pinot Noir of the greatest finesse and breed.