2015 Meursault Rougeots

Raphael Coche compared his family's 2015 white wines to their 2005s in their high levels of dry extract. "The 2015 vintage was very marked by drought and heat stress," he told me, "and the vintage is very different from any others during the 2010 through 2014 period." (Grape sugars were in the high 13% to 13.5% range, and the finished acidity levels are typically 3.7 or 3.8 grams per liter.) "The wines have great aromatic power and will age on their tannins."

In recent years, about 15% of Coche's production has been from purchased grapes, with Raphael emphasizing that this fruit is similar in quality to their estate production. "We only buy from terroirs that interest us," he added. Although Coche fils et père seem virtually always to be in their vines, Raphael assured me that winemaking and élevage are very important here--"as much as our work in the vineyards."