2020 Volnay 1er Cru

Raphael Coche is in typically garrulous form, holding court in the spartan tasting room when I visit, zigzagging between subjects to the extent it is difficult to keep up—as such, gleaning much information about the 2020 vintage in bottle is difficult because he runs off in another direction. Suffice it to say that after a sunny and warm season, they commenced picking on 20 August and bottled most of the wines by April 2022. “I find the vintage similar to 2019 with the same quality level, with the same spirit as 1989 and 1990, with the same dynamic,” he tells me. Their whites are simply wonderful, with perhaps the exception of the Bourgogne Blanc that is playing catch-up. What stands out for me this year is not the Corton-Charlemagne, but rather the spellbinding Meursault Perrières. I am also impressed by the reds. Traditionally, not Coche-Dury’s forte, a melioration in recent years has not gone unnoticed. He mentions that they underwent a 12-day cuvaison. The Auxey-Duresses and Volnay 1er Cru are absolutely divine.