Coche's smallest bottling performs as brilliantly as ever this year. The 2019 Meursault Les Chevalières unwinds in the glass to reveal notions of citrus zest, white flowers, blanched almonds, wet stones and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, taut and chiseled, it's racy and concentrated, with a tensile, mineral profile that belies the fact that only a vineyard track separates the domaine's holdings in this lieu-dit from their holdings in Les Rougeots.

The 2017 Meursault Les Chevalières is especially good this year, the charm of the vintage marrying with the inherent tension that defines the wines from this site to magical effect. Unfurling in the glass with scents of lemon oil, crisp Anjou pear, hazelnut cream, blanched almonds and white flowers, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered and multidimensional core, racy acidity and a long, chalky finish. In fact, this might be the finest young Chevalières I have ever tasted. Amounting to a mere 0.12 hectares, this is the smallest of the domaine's holdings, typically producing merely two barrels of wine, so it will sadly be difficult to find.

It was the first time that I have tasted the 2011 Meursault les Chevalieres 1er Cru from Jean-Fran?ois Coche-Dury. The nose is quintessential Coche - reduced with a touch of burnt matchstick, brilliant definition and enthralling intensity. Returning after 30 minutes in my glass, there are attractive scents of chalk dust and wet pavement. The palate shows sublime balance and poise, the acidity perfectly pitched with enticing notes of dried pineapple and almond littered over the finish. What a glorious Meursault. Drink now, or enjoy over 10-15 years.

Slate, citrus, smoke and crushed rocks come to life in the 2010 Meursault Les Chevalieres. In 2010, the Chevalieres is utterly captivating, with seemingly endless layers of fruit and an explosive, totally engaging personality. The pedigree of the vintage is evident. This is a fabulous showing from Coche. Anticipated maturity: 2016+. (Not yet released) Jean-Francois Coche’s 2010s have turned out just as I hoped they would, which is to say the wines are breathtaking. On average, yields were down 40%, so these already highly coveted, rare wines are going to be even more impossible to find than usual. Coche is adamant that opening his top 2010s before age ten is a total waste, something he repeated a few times during my visit. Accordingly, Coche doesn’t plan on releasing the Corton-Charlemagne for another few years. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to taste all of the 2010s from bottle, but this sample is a good representation of the vintage. Readers will find complete notes on the 2010s from barrel in our database at www.erobertparker.com. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

The 2009 Meursault Les Chevalieres flows with the essence of apricots, mint, minerals and flowers. This really needs at least a few more years in bottle, as it is intensely cool and inward at this stage. Still, the exceptionally long, polished finish makes me very optimistic about the future. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Raphael Coche-Dury is just past his 30th birthday, but he has already spent more than half his life working at the family’s illustrious domaine. It is quite evident Raphael Coche intends to follow his father footsteps, so the future seems to be in very capable hands. Coche describes 2010 as a cold vintage, but one with a lot of concentration because of the extensive coulure (shatter). Conditions in 2009 were pretty much the diametrical opposite. August was very warm, which caused challenges as sugars mounted quickly, but the fruit was healthy. Coche told me he wasn’t a huge fan of the vintage, but found the wines improved as they freshened up after the malos. Coche-Dury fans know the estate bottles three separate Meursaults at the villages level which are unfortunately not identified on the labels, which personally I find a bit frustrating. Qualitatively the three wines are quite similar, but their personalities are not. I have provided notes on all three of the 2010s and two of the 2009s, but readers will have to check with their suppliers to know for certain which wine they are buying. The 2009s should drink well relatively early and appear to have the stuffing to also age very well. The 2010s may very well prove to be nearly immortal. Let me just say I can’t wait to taste these wines in finished form from bottle. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524