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95 Robert Parker
Scents of lily, honeysuckle, and hyacinth grace a Coche-Dury 2007 Corton-Charlemagne that is as wafting in floral perfume, buoyant, vivacious, and generous as any young wine from this formidable, often youthfully forbidding appellation (not to mention any of Coche's) as I can recall. There is a lovely creaminess here, along with savory, saline and almond and pistachio oil elements, underlying juicy fresh apple and lime. This finishes winsomely, with its sheer persistence spelling grand cru. I would anticipate at least 12-15 years of delight and fascination. Jean-Francois Coche finished his 2007 Chardonnay harvest by mid-September, and of his whites were bottled in April. He characterizes the fruit as having been healthy, relatively high in malic acid, and easy to vinify, with alcohol levels (after very light but at this address routine chaptalization) between 12.5% and 13%. Coche is among many growers to not only draw the comparison with 2004, but to claim that this represents the only possible point of reference that even occurs to him. That said, he considers the 2007s slightly fruitier and more forward.
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.