Coche-Dury

Domaine Coche-Dury is one of the most celebrated estates of Meursault and a reference point for white Bourgogne. The domaine was shaped by Jean-François Coche, who took over from his father Georges during the 1970s and subsequently became known as Jean-François Coche-Dury after marrying Odile Dury. From relatively modest beginnings, he built an exceptional reputation through meticulous vineyard work and a highly recognisable approach to Chardonnay. His son Raphaël gradually joined the domaine and has been responsible for its continuation since Jean-François stepped back from day-to-day winemaking.

The domaine works a small collection of vineyards centred on Meursault, with production extending from Bourgogne Aligoté and Bourgogne Chardonnay through several village lieux-dits and Premiers Crus. Among its best-known wines are Meursault Les Rougeots, Les Chevalières and Premier Cru Caillerets, while the domaine also owns a tiny parcel of Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Pinot Noir represents a small but important part of production, including wines from Auxey-Duresses, Monthelie, Volnay and Pommard.

Vineyard work is exceptionally detailed, with low yields, careful pruning and close attention to achieving balanced ripeness. Harvesting is carried out by hand. In the cellar, the whites are fermented and matured in oak, including a measured proportion of new barrels, with extensive lees contact and relatively little intervention. The combination of barrel fermentation, élevage and a characteristic reductive element contributes to the domaine’s recognisable style, but acidity and vineyard character remain fundamental to the wines.

Coche-Dury’s whites combine concentration and texture with remarkable tension, freshness and length. Citrus and orchard fruit can be joined by toasted, smoky and flinty notes when young, while bottle age brings considerably greater complexity. Even the regional and village wines can possess unusual depth and ageing ability, while the rarest cuvées rank among Bourgogne’s most sought-after white wines. Tiny production, exceptional consistency and a distinctive interpretation of Meursault have made Coche-Dury one of the benchmark domaines of the Côte de Beaune.