Meursault les Caillerets 2018 Coche Dury

Tasting Note Meursault les Caillerets 2018

Aromas of hazelnut and toasted brioche linger over notes of ripe white peach, while a rock-hard, almost flinty edge provides a welcome counterbalance to the richness. On the palate, it is broad with the creamy texture characteristic of lees; the flavors of fruit harvested in a warm year fill the mid-palate, but the acidity carries through to the finish, leaving a long, saline finish. The aroma of new oak barrels still comes through more as a hint of spice than sweetness. It still feels young, but gradually opens up upon contact with air.

Grape Varieties

Chardonnay 100%. 

Cellaring Potential

It is best enjoyed between 2024 and 2050. Coche Dury's thorough crushing before pressing to yield a juice that is both fresher and higher in acidity, and it is precisely this acidity that will keep this wine in excellent condition for decades. Serve at 12°C, slightly warmer than most white wines. Allowing it to breathe in a decanter for about an hour will allow the young wine's flavors to unfold much more fully.

About Coche Dury

Coche-Dury has neither a website nor a tasting room, and its visitors’ book was closed many years ago. Around 4,000 cases of wine are produced here each year, and bottles of this wine are among the most expensive white wines in the world. The estate was founded in Meursault in the early 1920s by Léon Coche. His grandson, Jean-François, inherited it in 1972; three years later, he married Odile Dury, and they combined their surnames. Since 2010, the winery has been run by Raphaël Coche.

The vineyards cover an area of around ten and a half hectares, scattered across six communes in the form of small plots. Virtually none of them exceed one hectare, and almost none are classified as ‘grand cru’: there is just one leased plot in Corton-Charlemagne, from which the first harvest was taken in 1986, whilst the rest consists of Meursault vineyards and three Premier Cru plots on clay soils over limestone. Chardonnay is the predominant variety, with a small proportion of Aligoté and Pinot Noir in the less prestigious appellations.

In the cellar, a traditional method is employed. The grapes are thoroughly crushed before pressing; fermentation takes place in barrels using wild yeasts, followed by prolonged ageing on the lees with stirring, and bottling is carried out barrel by barrel the following spring. Jean-François used up to 50 per cent new oak; Raphaël has reduced this proportion to around a quarter.

Terroir & Climate

Caillerets is located high up on the Meursault slope, where the clay layer thins out over solid limestone. This is a significant difference. While the thick clay layer in the lower elevations of Meursault adds density and roundness to the wine, the bedrock in these higher elevations imparts a sense of tension. As a result, even in a ripe year, Caillerets feels tighter and has more pronounced mineral notes than the Village Meursault.

Winemaking

The grape crushing process is a defining characteristic of this wine. Instead of adding the grapes whole, they are thoroughly crushed before pressing, which yields a juice that is greener and higher in acidity. The juice is immediately transferred to oak barrels, where it ferments with its own yeast. It is then aged for 15 to 22 months with fine sediment, undergoing regular bâtonnage (the process of stirring the sediment back into the wine). Bottling is done barrel by barrel, and the wine is unfiltered.

Food Pairing

Thanks to its nutty and buttery aromas, along with its firm acidity, this wine is better suited for enjoying with a meal than as an aperitif. Recommended pairings:

• Turbot or sole in a beurre blanc: The acidity cuts through the richness of the butter
• Chicken with a cream sauce: a Burgundian standard
• Risotto with ceps: The earthy notes of the mushrooms harmonize with the wine's mineral flavors
• Aged Comté