Domaine Coche-Dury Puligny Montrachet "Les Enseigneres" 1998
(Burgundy, France) - [WS 93]

About This Winemaker:
The Coches farm almost nine hectares of vineyards on minuscule parcels over six communes: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Auxey-Duresses, Monthelie, and Volnay. Approximately half of their holdings are situated around their hometown of Meursault, with their parcels of Bourgogne surrounding the home and winery.

Though they are best known for their Chardonnay, they also bottle six exquisite Pinot Noirs. No clones of any kind are planted - an absolute rarity in Burgundy, where cold, humid winters, spontaneous springtime hail storms, and harvest rains all make farming a challenge. Once in the cellar, vinifications are long and traditional, with extended lees contact. This extra time on the lees prevents oxidation and works in tandem with the terrific freshness his grapes achieve. A good proportion of new wood is used, not to influence the taste of the wine, but rather to extend the cellar-aging potential of these pedigreed wines and to serve as a clean slate for perfect fruit.

Coche believes strongly that the white wines of Burgundy should have nerve, and his are never among the ripest or highest in alcohol of his colleagues. It is their vibrant acidity, often hidden in the opulence that helps them to age so successfully and predictably. Though their bottlings are extremely limited, any chance to taste the wines of Coche-Dury promises a rare glimpse into some of the greatest vineyard management and winemaking in the world.

93 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine:
"Refined and classy. Ultraclean and tightly structured white, combining some honey, deftly dosed oak, pear tart, vanilla, cream and spice. Medium-bodied, with a long finish, this is an ager. Best from 2002 through 2015. 275 cases made. - PM" (Issue Oct 15, 2000)

90 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Coche's 1998 Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseigneres were not stricken by frost, and produced what he referred to as "a great harvest of yellow grapes." Picked at 13% natural potential alcohol, it displays buttered toast and spicy oak aromas. This plump, medium-bodied, pear, ripe apple, and creme brulee-flavored wine is a delight to drink right out of the barrel. Opulent, focused, and well-balanced, it is undoubtedly one of the stars in Coche-Dury's cellar in the 1998 vintage." - Pierre Rovani (20th Apr 2000)

 Vinous Media:
"Bright straw color. Discreet, steely aromas of peach, spices and nutty oak. Then quite tightly wrapped and unforthcoming, in the rather strict style of the vintage. There was no frost here, says Coche." Stephen Tanzer - (Sep 2000)

Allen Meadows' Burghound:
"A completely clean nose that features almost none of the exotic notes so typical of the vintage blends into intense if slightly lean flavors that offer exqusite detail and very impressive length. As I am not a particular fan of the '98 whites, I find this to deliver remarkable quality for the vintage with its reserved and tight yet superbly well balanced flavors underpinned by solid minerality and upside potential of 5ish years." - (Sep 08, 2001)