According to the AOC regulations, the maximum legal yield for Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is 40 hectoliters per hectare (hl/ha), which translates to 4,000 liters per hectare.
Under specific conditions, an increase of up to 20% is allowed, meaning the maximum yield can reach 48 hl/ha, or 4,800 liters per hectare.
When converted to Coche-Dury’s pre-2013 vineyard size of 0.335 hectares, this would equate to a maximum production of 2,144 bottles.
But recently, I saw someone post a picture on Instagram, and the bottle number has already reached 2457.
I can understand that 2005 is a great vintage, but it wouldn’t justify such a significant increase in production. After all, this could affect the concentration of the grapes.
By coincidence, I was in a store in Manhattan an hour ago where the manager was telling another employee that a supplier (could be gray market for all I know) just called to ask if they wanted an allocation of Coche-Dury, including perhaps a bottle or two of the C-C. The store has quite a good selection, but I don’t think it’s on anyone’s short list of top retailers in NYC, and it’s never mentioned here on WB. In short, it’s not the obvious outlet for some unsold Coche.
Hmm. This could be a reward for other orders, of course, but I found it a bit surprising.
i think coche from normal distribution channels is probably a very tough sell. prices are sky high through the range. i too have seen some random natural wine stores selling the bourgogne blanc for north of $350 which is highway robbery. it seems as if it is being pawned off to smaller stores that do not have a lot of experience or market knowledge and just know it is a famed label. if wineaccess can offer the corton charlemagne ($6000+) on their site that should be seen as an indication of surplus stock as well. from what i can tell it is still relatively “cheap” on certain wine lists in france so i doubt ex cellar prices have moved in a drastic way over the years.
That would kind of make sense. One of the guys in the store where I was today said, “I can sell that all in an hour and make a LOT of money. A LOT of money.”
Perhaps he will be surprised.
(His giddiness at the prospect of big bucks was not a good look to a customer like me standing there.)
You don’t want him to stay in business? Big bucks doesn’t necessarily mean he’s gouging. Reasonable margins on thousands of dollars of wine is still a lot of money in a short time.
We drank bottle nr 1653 of 2005 in November 2024 and this was a real bottle (I know the provenance). The other 2 bottles from last year (other vintages) were 69 and 147. I assume bottle number 2457 could indeed be counterfeit
2010 was phenomenal, about as good as any white Burg I’ve had. 2008 was very close, while it had a lot of energy, the mid-palate missed just a spark (a little energy and volume) compared to the 2010. The 2005 was different, later picked or just the effect of the year? I can’t tell. Great wine for sure but a more opulent rendition, less nervous and clearly at apogee. I would not wait longer for any of the 3 but if you can only drink 1 per year take the 2005 first, the 2008 after and the 2010 for last, it has the highest chance for keeping at this level (I scored it 100/100)
2005, 2008, and 2010 are all great vintages for Coche-Dury. My experience with 2005 is very limited(just once, six years ago in London) and my impression was that it still displayed a remarkably youthful character.
As for 2010, I found it slightly lacking in acidity, but it was nonetheless magnificent.
The wholesale prices for Coche are insane. Last price I saw on Bourgogne Blanc (in DC) was like $340ish a bottle. Being sold all over the place for $300-$325 retail.
The vintage they are selling of CC right now is 2016. I don’t know what the wholesale price is, but I’ve been steadily seeing it drop out of Europe. I’ve also been offered full cases from numerous outlets at really competitive pricing, but it doesn’t seem like there is an appetite for the vintage at the consumer level (I haven’t had it, but someone I trust recently told me it’s a good wine, but not a great vintage of CC).
At 10,000 vines per hectare, without missing vines, and clusters weighing 100 grams, a yield of 40 hectoliters per hectare equates to just a fraction more than five clusters per vine. That really isn’t very much fruit per vine, and it’s much lower than you’d find in most viticultural regions outside Burgundy.
But the question is, even if the AOC regulations allow for a 20% yield increase, that would still only bring the total to 48 hl/ha. Given the vineyard area Coche-Dury held at the time, that still wouldn’t reach a production cap of 2,457 bottles, right?
Or is the AOC regulation merely a reference, and in practice, yields can exceed the 20% increase limit?
If my math is right 40 Hl/ha is about 2.55 tons/acre (for folks that wanted that info in more local terminology). It’s a little fuzzy because you’re presuming gallons/ton but it’s in the ballpark. That’s not some amazing yield.