Lot presentation

Meursault 1er Cru Charmes Coche-Bizouard 2005

The wine

Nestling to the south of Volnay and Pommard, the Meursault terroir is one of the leading white wine regions in the southern Côte d’Or. The Charmes climat, located to the south of Meursault, is behind the excellent quality of the Premier Crus. The shallow subsoil, mainly consisting of clay, limestone and stone, produces airy, mineral wines with beautiful structure. The Chardonnay vines, ideally facing south-east, bask in the perfect amount of sunlight which allows the grapes to ripen to perfection. The vines, averaging around forty years old, are harvested by hand to preserve the quality of this exceptional raw material. The grapes are then vinified in a traditional, low-intervention fashion. 
The luminous golden colour reveals an intense bouquet bursting with expressive yellow fruit aromas combined with subtle hints of wood. The fresh, generous palate elegantly leads to a deliciously long, aromatic finish.

About the Producer Fabien Coche

Established in 1940 in Meursault, Domaine Fabien Coche was formerly known under two names: Alain Coche-Bizouard (Fabien’s father) and Fabien Coche-Bouillot (Bouillot being the surname of his wife Magali, who works with him at the estate). The name of Fabien Coche makes things much simpler. It was Fabien’s grandfather?–?who happens to be the brother of the grandfathers of Raphaël Coche-Dury and Jean-Marc Roulot?–?who, when he was a cooper, decided to buy plots of land and cultivate them. Fabien’s father, Alain, made the leap into winemaking by acquiring vines that now make up the estate. Since 1998, Fabien and his wife Magali have been working diligently to upgrade their equipment and build a new vathouse, ensuring they always have the best tools for their craft.
The twelve-hectare vineyard owns vines in 28 appellations, with parcels scattered around the communes of Meursault, Pommard, Auxey-Duresses, Monthélie, Saint-Romain, Saint-Aubin and Puligny-Montrachet and many more. Since the end of the 1990s, the vines, averaging 80 years old, have been cultivated according to organic farming principles. The estate was awarded its organic certification in 2023. Traditional methods are used in the winery to produce beautifully balanced wines with a pronounced minerality. The wood ageing process carried out in large vessels is expertly managed, using only a small amount of new wood to retain the wines’ freshness and elegance. No punching of the cap, pumping over the must or stirring of the lees takes place. The wine is aged for 16 to 18 months, except for the Aligoté, which is matured in stainless steel vats.
Fabien Coche supplements his offering with a wine merchant business, increasing his 12-hectare estate by a further 3 hectares of vines. He sources grapes from trusted winegrowers he’s worked with since 2007, ensuring healthy raw materials.