2010 Domaine Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

The 2010 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru from Domaine Jean-François Coche-Dury is the third bottle that I have encountered. I’m spoiled. It flirts perfectly with a heavenly bouquet that just shimmers with energy, the palate ideally balanced with incredible, ineffable depth and concentration, yet that acidity slices through it with effortless ease. I suspect a score with three figures instead of two is just a matter of time.

The 2010 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru... I mean... what is there left to say? It is simply and, in my mind, incontrovertibly one of the pinnacles of Jean-François Coche's auspicious career. Now reaching a decade old, it has lost none of its thrilling details or the electrifying tension that roots you to the spot. The palate is summed up in a single word: dazzling! Everything here is perfectly in place and the length is just astonishing. Utterly profound. This is beginning to reach the perfection of the 2005. Tasted blind at a private club in London.

The 2010 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru from Coche-Dury is destined to be a great wine...in about 20 years time! I can understand exactly why Jean-François Coche elected to keep this back and frankly he could have waited another decade if so desired. It does have a gorgeous, primal bouquet with brioche and orange blossom scents reluctantly emerging from the glass. I notice a touch of fieriness after 30 minutes, but it is a sign of coiled-up energy instead of intimating volatility. The palate has a sublime balance, saline in the mouth, smooth and caressing in texture with enormous length. This is already a stylish wine but my God, those fortunate to have this in your cellar need to forget about it. Tasted at Tour d’Argent restaurant in Paris.