Domaine Coche Dury   Meursault Caillerets

2001 Meursault Caillerets

By Domaine Coche-Dury

2001 Meursault Caillerets from Domaine Coche-Dury, Burgundy, France

The millennium dawn broke on Burgundy with promise, and standing amongst the region’s vinous triumphs is the 2001 Meursault Caillerets from Domaine Coche-Dury. This particular vintage from one of Burgundy’s most lauded producers captures a moment in time where terroir and craft align to create something truly compelling for fine wine investors and aficionados alike.

 

A Vintage Defined by Elegance

The year 2001 was one that challenged vignerons yet blessed them with the fruits of their diligent efforts. The preceding winter lingered, spring hesitated, and a moderate summer ensued with episodes of warmth rather than ubiquitous scorching heat. This more restrained climatic temperament allowed the Chardonnay grapes in Les Caillerets vineyard to mature at a considered pace, developing a complex layering of flavours without an overzealous accumulation of sugars.

In the glass, the 2001 Meursault Caillerets from Domaine Coche-Dury effuses a bouquet that is an intricate tapestry of ripe orchard fruits interwoven with subtler threads of toasted almond and honeysuckle. On the palate, it reveals a charming duality: a delicate lacework of lemon zest and flinty minerality balanced by the creamier undertones endowed by astutely managed oak ageing.

 

Investment Merits: Taste Meets Tenacity

While Meursault may be known for producing Chardonnay with substantial structure, the 2001 Meursault Caillerets expresses an additional level of finesse. It is this vintage differentiation—this singular expression of time and place—that underscores its attractiveness as an investment piece. Twenty years on, it maintains its integrity and evolve further, maturing into an increasingly rare gem within any portfolio. For those seeking a white Burgundy with poise and longevity, this offering from Domaine Coche-Dury stands as a testament to a winemaker's resilience and adaptability to the rhythms of nature.

The 2001 Meursault Caillerets remains one of the more striking vintages from Domaine Coche-Dury. It serves as an exemplar both for the collector's cellar and for those seeking to diversify their investment avenues with wines that can stand the test of time while echoing the idiosyncrasies of their birth year.

Market price (CAD)

$28,150.00

12x75cl

Highest score

93

POP score

1300.77

Scores and tasting notes

92-94

Peaches, apricots, and spices are found in the redolent aromatics of the 2001 Meursault Caillerets. A honeyed, feminine wine, its personality at this stage is reminiscent of a great Meursault-Charmes, satin-textured, deep, dense, and focused. Loads of pulp-laden pears and spices can be found throughout its exceptional personality and finish. Projected maturity: now-2013. *Note: Jean-Francois Coche labels three different wines as “Meursault”, the Vireuils-Dessous, Vireuils-Dessus, and Narvaux. His US importer, Kermit Lynch, typically purchases only the Meursault from the Narvaux vineyard. By the time I entered the cellars of Jean-Francois Coche, I’d been tasting in Burgundy for nearly three weeks. The vintage remained perplexing. A plethora of unripe wines had been encountered (with green acid and sharp textures), some plump, delicious, near-term drinkers were located, but only a handful of great offerings had been unearthed. My mind contained many pieces of the puzzle as to why this vintage was so heterogeneous, even within a single estate. Within minutes of my arrival, Coche took all those pieces of the puzzle, rearranged them, and showed me a clear picture of the vintage. “People simply harvest too early, and they’re thinking about finishing before they even start, so they harvest too early and too quickly.” He went on to explain that he takes 11 days to harvest his 9.43 hectare (23.3 acre) estate even though he could do it much more quickly. “The key is to wait for each parcel to ripen. I wait seven days between my Vireuils-Dessous and Vireuils-Dessus because that’s what it takes. I don’t simply send the harvesters up the hill just because they happen to be in the vicinity.” In a year where many vignerons were whining about the difficulties associated with the vintage, an ecstatic Jean-Francois Coche could be found gleefully slurping his wines, joyfully uttering such comments as “magnificent yellow-pink grapes”, “pure and rich”, “incredible flesh, the grape’s resin in fact”. While others bemoaned the rot and botrytis, Coche extolled the virtues of his “stunning grapes, without a trace of botrytis.” To Jean-Francois Coche, 2001 is a great vintage for whites, “because the grapes were healthy, perfectly ripe with golden colors, yields were moderate, certainly lower than 2000 and 1999, and the malolactic fermentations took a really long time, from early winter to September for most of them (one was still gurgling away). These wines will age extremely well, in fact I’m considering not releasing the top wines for a number of years like I’ve done with the 1996s.” On the issue of the red Cote de Beaune’s (Coche produces a number, none of which were tasted), he said, “it was a really tough year, rather mediocre in fact.” What sets Coche apart from the world’s hordes of winemakers is more than his picking dates and harvesting techniques. It is dedication. With exceedingly few exceptions, producers throughout the world wish for their wines to be tasted between 10am and 11:30am, because somebody’s told them the wines showed best during that time-frame. Coche demands that tastings be conducted after nightfall, “I’ll be in the vineyards starting at dawn, so we must meet at night.” Therein lies the answer as to why Coche has yields low enough that they can ripen, healthy bunches, and the conscientiousness to harvest only when the grapes are fully mature. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

Pierre Rovani - The Wine Advocate, 29 June 2003

Vintage performance