Score: |
97+ ST. "Pale yellow. Profound aromas of lemon, lime and crushed rock. Ineffably silky on entry, then tightly coiled and pungently mineral in the middle palate, conveying an impression of great density without weight. No sign of hot-vintage character here! The endless crushed-rock finish conveys a powerful sense of solidity and the structure of a red wine. Raphael Coche likes this best among his 2015s for its balance but will probably hold it back for a much later release. He noted that the family's 2010 Corton-Charlemagne will be released in September, adding that the 2015 version is totally different in style but close in quality. Raphael Coche compared his family's 2015 white wines to their 2005s in their high levels of dry extract. 'The 2015 vintage was very marked by drought and heat stress,' he told me, 'and the vintage is very different from any others during the 2010 through 2014 period.' (Grape sugars were in the high 13% to 13.5% range, and the finished acidity levels are typically 3.7 or 3.8 grams per liter.) 'The wines have great aromatic power and will age on their tannins.' In recent years, about 15% of Coche's production has been from purchased grapes, with Raphael emphasizing that this fruit is similar in quality to their estate production. 'We only buy from terroirs that interest us," he added. Although Coche fils et père seem virtually always to be in their vines, Raphael assured me that winemaking and élevage are very important here--"as much as our work in the vineyards.'" Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com, Jun 2017 |