J F Coche Dury Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2000 750ml

Burghound.com/ Tasted: Jul 01, 2002
(with thanks to Dr. Michael Chen and Hal Borthwick). Cool, reserved and incredibly pure green apple and white pear notes blend seamlessly with an intense yet understated minerality that leads to positively crystalline and concentrated, dense flavors that deliver the hallmark delineation, power and breathtaking persistence of classically styled Corton-Charlemagne. But this rises to the next level by virtue of unmistakable breed plus a certain vibrancy and presence that is rare even among great wines. Extremely impressive and destined for a long life and this has just entered the front end of its prime drinkability. Consistent notes.

The Domaine was established in the 1920s by Leon Coche. Some vineyard plots with established grapevines were purchased and Leon bottled some wine himself.The vineyard land was passed down to Leon's three children, with Georges Coche taking control of his share in 1964 and continuing to run the estate and purchase new vineyard land. Jean-Francois Coche took over from his father Georges, on his fathers retirement in 1973. Jean-Francois's wife has the surname Dury which was added to the name of the estate.
Jean-Francois Coche officially retired in 2010 but there will clearly be continuity of style in the hands of his son Raphael who has been working alongside his father since 2003. There have been some changes already in the detail: the vineyards are now all ploughed, and a pneumatic press has been ordered to work alongside the old mechanical Vaslin.
The wines are firmly crushed before pressing, which must surely be a factor in the Coche-Dury style, then fermented and matured in barrels using a relatively low percentage of new wood, not exceeding 25% except for the very top wines.

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