2002 Meursault Caillerets

Sexy sweet oak complicates aromas of peach, orange, butter and white flowers. Sweet, fruity and floral, with near-perfect framing acidity. A wine characterized more by its delicious fruit and round texture than by minerality, and easier to taste today than the Narvaux, Chevaliers and Rougeots. Not especially subtle but very long on the aftertaste. These vines always ripen early, notes Coche, whereas Narvaux and Vireuils are always the last parcels to be harvested.

Coche’s 2002 Meursault Caillerets, produced from a parcel planted in 1994, explodes from the glass with green apples and a myriad of spices. This plump, meaty, deep wine is crammed with honeyed minerals, toast, and creamed pears. It is concentrated, extremely well-balanced, and reveals an impressively long, fruit-filled finish. Projected maturity: 2005-2014. Note: Jean-Francois Coche labels five different wines as “Meursault,” the Vireuils-Dessous, Vireuils-Dessus, La Barre, Narvaux, and from an as-yet-unnamed parcel (it may be called “Chaumes”) on the top of the Meursault hill that belongs to his son Raphael. His US importer, Kermit Lynch, generally purchases only the Meursault from the Narvaux vineyard, but there is no way of knowing which “Meursault” is being purchased from the gray market. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

Coche’s 2002 Meursault Caillerets, produced from a parcel planted in 1994, explodes from the glass with green apples and a myriad of spices. This plump, meaty, deep wine is crammed with honeyed minerals, toast, and creamed pears. It is concentrated, extremely well-balanced, and reveals an impressively long, fruit-filled finish. Projected maturity: 2005-2014. Feb 2004, www.robertparker.com