2007 Domaine J-F Coche-Dury, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Bottle (750ml)

Scents of lily, honeysuckle, and hyacinth grace a Coche-Dury 2007 Corton-Charlemagne that is as wafting in floral perfume, buoyant, vivacious, and generous as any young wine from this formidable, often youthfully forbidding appellation (not to mention any of Coche's) as I can recall. There is a lovely creaminess here, along with savory, saline and almond and pistachio oil elements, underlying juicy fresh apple and lime. This finishes winsomely, with its sheer persistence spelling grand cru. I would anticipate at least 12-15 years of delight and fascination. Jean-Francois Coche finished his 2007 Chardonnay harvest by mid-September, and of his whites were bottled in April. He characterizes the fruit as having been healthy, relatively high in malic acid, and easy to vinify, with alcohol levels (after very light but at this address routine chaptalization) between 12.5% and 13%. Coche is among many growers to not only draw the comparison with 2004, but to claim that this represents the only possible point of reference that even occurs to him. That said, he considers the 2007s slightly fruitier and more forward. Robert Parker
Domaine J-F Coche-Dury, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru