Coche Dury, Bourgogne Chardonnay 2011

robert_parker90

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2011 Bourgogne Blanc has an intriguing bouquet: taut and linear, not a million miles from a Puligny-Montrachet. The palate is crisp on the entry with a fine line of acidity, remaining very strict with plenty of fresh lime and dried apricot furnishing the finish. This is precise and very pure, a sprightly white Burgundy to enjoy in its flush of youth. Drink now-2018. 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. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524 and Berkmann Wines in the UK.