Coche Dury
At A Glance
Coche Dury is a small Meursault domaine with approximately 9 hectares spread across 15 appellations. Its range reaches from Meursault wines to Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru and Volnay Premier Cru. Low yields, savory white wines and a touch of green character linked with long aging provide the clearest clues to its house style.
The Producer
Coche Dury is based in Meursault, the Bourgogne village and appellation at the centre of its work. Léon Coche founded the domaine in the 1920s, and the estate now farms a compact area across a wide set of Burgundian labels. That combination gives the range an unusual shape: the home village remains central, while the cellar also handles grand cru, premier cru and red wine from beyond Meursault.
The domaine cultivates approximately 9 hectares, also described as roughly 25 acres, yet produces wines from 15 appellations. The list includes Meursault Perrières, Caillerets, Narvaux, Rougeots, Vireuils and Chevalières, as well as Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru and Volnay Premier Cru. The producer is therefore best understood through the relationship between a small vineyard base and a broad set of place names.
Place
Meursault supplies the geographical anchor. It is a village and appellation in Bourgogne, and the domaine's white wines carry several Meursault vineyard names that distinguish their position within that home area. Corton Charlemagne places part of the range at grand cru level, while Volnay Premier Cru brings a red wine from a different village into the portfolio.
Those labels alter the expected experience before the cork is pulled. Meursault frames the white range around the domaine's home village, Corton Charlemagne marks a grand cru position, and Volnay identifies a red wine built from Taillepied and Clos des Chênes. The range travels across Bourgogne, but the bottle names keep the geography visible.
Soil And Site
The clearest site clues at Coche Dury come from the vines and planting regime. High vine age, dense planting and short pruning all contribute to low yields. Fewer grapes reach the cellar from each vine, leaving the domaine with limited crop levels before fermentation begins.
That vineyard work supports the house's savory register rather than a sweet impression. In the white wines, a touch of green character sits alongside the fruit and helps the wines age over time. The site story here is therefore carried by old vines, close planting and disciplined pruning, with the consequence appearing in the wine's flavor and longevity.
Story
Léon Coche founded the domaine in Meursault in the 1920s. Over time, the estate developed a wide Burgundian range without becoming a large landholding: approximately 9 hectares now support wines from 15 appellations. The arc can be read directly from the labels, with home village Meursault alongside named Meursault holdings, Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru and Volnay Premier Cru.
The house has kept its wines toward savory rather than sweet character, while its white wines retain a slight green edge associated with long aging. The range grew outward from Meursault, yet the bottles continue to connect back to vineyard position, low yields and a cellar style that leaves room for age.
Vineyards And Cellar
The vineyard decisions begin with low yields. High vine age, planting density and short pruning all reduce the amount harvested from each vine, so the cellar receives fruit from a deliberately limited crop. The direct consequence is a wine style built around savory flavor rather than sweetness.
The white wines also carry a touch of green character that supports long aging. That note is part of the house's age profile, not a flaw to be polished away. In the range, it provides a thread linking Meursault bottlings with the domaine's broader white wine work.
Wines
The white range is anchored in Meursault and extends through several named holdings. Meursault Perrières, Caillerets, Narvaux, Rougeots, Vireuils and Chevalières occupy different positions within the village's portfolio, while Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru places another white wine at grand cru level. These names create a range of vineyard and appellation positions rather than one generic Meursault style.
The red side is represented by the 2017 Volnay Premier Cru, a blend of Taillepied and Clos des Chênes. Its nose brings dark chocolate, ripe wild berries, rich soil tones, spices and peonies. On the palate it is medium to full bodied, layered and concentrated, with sapid fruit, powdery tannins and lively acidity. A second tasting description adds menthol tinged red berries, crushed strawberry, red cherry, white pepper and sour cherry lift.
The portfolio therefore divides clearly between savory, age capable whites and a red wine with dark fruit, floral notes, soil, spice, tannin and acidity. The appellation names tell you where each bottle sits; the tasting details tell you how that position behaves in the glass.
In The Glass
The white wines begin with a savory impression rather than overt sweetness. A slight green note lifts the fruit and keeps the palate moving, while creamy texture can sit alongside the wine's freshness. With age, that green edged character supports a longer finish and a more developed white wine profile.
The 2017 Volnay takes a different path. Menthol tinged red berry fruit leads into crushed strawberry and red cherry, with white pepper and sour cherry adding a bright edge. Dark chocolate, soil and spice deepen the aromatic register, while powdery tannins and lively acidity carry the wine through the mouth and leave the finish dry and persistent.
A Bottle To Understand It
2008 Meursault Les Rougeots is the first bottle to seek. It is a Meursault wine from the domaine's home appellation, and its detailed tasting profile brings the estate's white wine style into focus: tangerine oil, mint, apricot, chamomile and tropical fruit rise from a creamy, textured glass.
The wine combines aromatic breadth with the savory, slightly green edged character associated with long aging. It stays with one bottle and one village, yet it also reveals the elements that recur across the range: low yielding vineyard work, a preference for savory flavor and a white wine built to develop.
Anecdote
In 1999, Raphaël Coche joined his father Jean François at the Meursault domaine. Jean François had become the principal winemaker, and the arrival of his son began the next stage of the family handover. Raphaël later assumed winemaking responsibilities, while Jean François continued his connection with the estate until retiring in 2010. The succession moved from father to son across eleven years, with the cellar passing into Raphaël's hands after a period of shared work.
Final Word
Coche Dury is a Meursault domaine whose small vineyard base supports an unusually broad Burgundian range. Start with 2008 Meursault Les Rougeots for the savory, green edged white style, then read the 2017 Volnay Premier Cru as the red counterpart, with fruit, soil, spice, tannin and acidity in a different register.
Sources
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/burgundystopproducers1362 https://v1.vinous.com/articles/cellarfavorite2008domainejeanfrancoiscochedurymeursaultlesrougeotsdec2022 https://www.burgundyreport.com/burgundyreportextra/032007/domainecochedurymeursault/ https://insideburgundy.com/overview/domainecochedury/ https://bestofwines.com/wine/wineproducer/cochedury/volnay1ercru2017.htm https://www.thatcherswine.com/products/2017cocheduryvolnay1ercru https://aoweb.com/coche.html