Princeton eBob Coche Dinner

The Ferry House, Princeton NJ
Tasted Tuesday, February 7, 2006 by psmith with 1,321 views

Introduction

The impetus for this blowout evening was Stuart "Beaunehead" Niemtzow suggestion that Coche-Dury uses, or at least used, too much oak. Herwig Janssen has a different opinion, and a dinner ensued, with Herwig generously supplying the whites for the event. As opportunities like this don't come up too often, I hopped in my car and made the 500-mile drive to Princeton. My limited Coche experience had led me to the same conclusions that Stuart had come to, but I can happily say I've been won over….now it’s simply a matter of finding the money to afford them!

Flight 1 (3 Notes)

The four white flights were arranged progressively and, when possible, by vintage, starting with villages-level Meursaults from Coche, Lafon, and d'Auvenay.

  • 2002 Coche-Dury Meursault 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

    Fat, mineral-driven with oak accents well balanced by a firm dose of acidity. Youthful with a promising future. Villages weight and body, but a class rarely seen in wines at this level.

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  • 2002 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 88 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

    Austere lemon curd notes with a pronounced minerality but comparatively expressionless and lacking the textural appeal of the Coche. My Lafon experience is limited but to me their wines seem quite similar, almost regardless of vintage and pedigree. Still, a quality wine that I'd be happy to drink most any day.

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  • 2002 Domaine d'Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

    Actually, I'm not sure whether this was d'Auvenay or not - it had the standard label, but never actually said "d'Auvenay" on the bottle. Either way, a superb Meursault. The wine showed a pronounced oaky "buttered popcorn" character on the nose that scared me a bit. Fully balanced and really flashy on the palate. Juicy and full of mouth-watering acidity. Excellent...it's a shame they make so little.

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Flight 2 (3 Notes)

Next the Rougeouts and a wonderful Caillerets:

  • 1990 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots 82 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

    Apple cider color, and similar flavor profile. Not dead by any means, but old for my tastes. Some interesting salted ham notes and pine-sol, though with an acidic core that keeps the wine at least somewhat lively. An exact copy of a bottle of this I had early last year.

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  • 2000 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

    Another level. Stylistically similar to Coche's villages wines, but quite refined and patrician, in an unabashed sort of way. A rich palate but clearly holding back. Unquestionably a long and glorious future.

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  • 2000 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

    Accessible, explosive, and with a wonderfully oily texture, though it doesn't handle its body with the authority of the Caillerets. Noticeable oak influence, but not nearly as bothersome to me as some others. Only glimpses of the pedigree of Coche's higher-level wines.

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Flight 3 (3 Notes)

Then the Perrières, at which point my very good wild mushroom risotto came out.

Flight 4 (1 Note)

And finally an exceptional example of the legendary Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemange.

  • 2001 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne 97 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

    All the class of the Perrieres and more. An opulent, stony profile and a beautifully oily palate, all kept in focus by a laser-sharp minerality and firm acidity. Obviously restrained, and in an '01 mold will need significant time, but quite showy even at this point. Awesome.

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Flight 5 (3 Notes)

By this time appetizers were done and we switched to reds for the main courses. Ray Tuppatsch generously brought a selection of old Burgs that provided a natural place to start.

Flight 6 (3 Notes)

The next flight was sort of a comparison of 1ers, though the Ruchottes (made by Roumier) found its way in here as well.

Flight 7 (3 Notes)

Keeping with the northern Cote de Nuits theme of the previous flight we moved on to a couple of Dujac CdlR and a delicious Musigny. My very solid piece of veal came out around now as well.

  • 2000 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    Accessible but clearly capable of lasting. Very Dujac with ripe black cherry and a perfumed floral character with stemmy tannins. Impressive.

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  • 1999 Domaine Jacques Prieur Musigny 93 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

    Stunning nose - classy and patrician but unquestionably beautiful. Surprisingly accessible for a '99 with an almost weightless profile only given away by the fine, well-balanced tannic structure. Exceptional.

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  • 1998 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    Giving but quite young. Floral with some pretty sweetness. Depth of fruit holds up well to the stemmy tannins. On revisiting a strange, Cabernet like ripeness; still, another '98 that looks like it should turn out just fine.

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Flight 8 (4 Notes)

Well, I was starting to feel it at this point, and drinking the La Tache while coherent seemed like a good idea. After that my notes started to get shorter, and a bit harder to read. A couple more burgs and my palate was fried.

Flight 9 (3 Notes)

The Beaucastels for the next flight provided a great change of pace as my palate was too shot for Burgundy.

Flight 10 (1 Note)

With everyone packing up an unopened wine on the table seemed out of place and provided an excuse to stay for another few minutes. Bad idea. I might have been past my prime, but the wine was far from it, and exceptionally hard to evaluate at this point. Live and learn I suppose.

  • 1995 Louis Jadot Musigny

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

    Hideously young. Meaty and dense, quite tannic and wrapped up. Those with light years more experience than I saw great potential here but hard for me to get a read on. Hold!

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Closing

The Ferry House was exceptionally accommodating and allowed us to stay at least an hour after the other guests had left. I'd be happy to return. Another must visit in Princeton is Thomas Sweet Ice Cream recommended by Keith, who serve their own version of the Blizzard, more aptly named the "Blend-In". It was about 25F outside so walking around Princeton at 11:00AM with a sundae-like concoction did get me a few stares, but the classic vanilla/heath combo was worth it. Next time I'll find a more daring choice.

All in all, a wonderful evening of great conversation and wines that more than justified the 16 hours I spent in the car to get there.

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