Domaine Coche-Dury

Discretion, humility and search for perfection... a few words to describe this cult Domaine

Raphaël Coche-Dury produces some of the very greatest white wines coming out of Burgundy, which have even achieved cult status. The ingredients at the root of this success are mostly no secret, they also apply to several other producers of exceptional wines: prime vineyard land, constant work in vineyard and cellars, and rigorous yield limitation. However in Domaine Coche-Dury’s case they are taken to a level of perfection which would appear difficult to equal.

Founded in 1923 in Meursault, Domaine Coche-Dury expanded significantly from 1964 under Georges Coche, who increased vineyard holdings and shifted sales from bulk to estate bottling. Jean-François Coche, taking over in 1972, consolidated the domaine around key parcels such as Meursault 1er Cru Perrières, Les Rougeots and Corton-Charlemagne.

Raphaël Coche, who joined in 1997, now oversees 12 hectares, of which about 10.5 are in production. Around nine hectares are in Meursault (0.67 ha of Perrières, 0.21 ha of Genevrières, 0.16 ha of Caillerets, 0.73 ha of Rougeots, 0.13 ha of Chevalières, some Narvaux, Vireuils and Chaumes), complemented by parcels in Puligny-Montrachet (Les Enseignères) and Corton-Charlemagne for whites—representing roughly 75% of output—and in Auxey-Duresses, Monthélie, and Volnay 1er Cru for reds. Annual production ranges from 45,000 to 60,000 bottles.

Viticulture is rigorous, with meticulous pruning to limit yields and vine-by-vine replanting through massal selection. Yields can be very low (around 25 hl/ha in 2025), reflecting millerandage and climatic pressures. Raphaël is attentive to extreme weather events and increased solar radiation, adapting practices, including green harvesting when necessary, to preserve vine health.

In the cellar, whites are pressed slowly and aged 18 months in barrel (20% new oak), with lees management central to structure and length. Wines are neither fined nor filtered and are bottled using a traditional “chèvre à deux becs.” Reds, produced in smaller quantities, are mostly destemmed, fermented for 12–15 days and aged 14–16 months in barrel with less new oak.

Over the past three decades, Coche-Dury’s uncompromising structured approach to long élevage, precise lees management, and controlled reduction has become an important reference point in discussions around modern white Burgundy.