If you’re more of a visual person, glance over the attached family tree to see how Fabien Coche is linked to famous Burgundian domaines like Coche-Dury and Roulot. Everyone else, continue on: In 1940, Julien Coche started with one humble hectare (under the name Domaine Julien Coche-Debord) and when his son, Alain—a first cousin of Jean-François of Domaine Coche-Dury—came aboard, land ownership grew to a dozen hectares through decades of manual work and wine peddling. At this point, the estate was renamed Domaine Coche-Bizouard. Finally, Alain’s son, Fabien, took the reins in 1998, and for the last two decades, he has impressively managed their 40 parcels of vines—split between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—in and around the village of Meursault. Equally impressive are their old vines: over 60% of them are pushing past 60 years old! It’s also important to note this family estate has farmed traditionally from the start and Fabien hasn’t missed a beat in that regard. 

Though they have vineyard holdings ranging from Saint-Aubin to Pommard, their 2016 Bourgogne Blanc is sourced from family-owned parcels in Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Auxey-Duresses. They are known for picking (up to seven days) later than most other local growers and when they finally harvest, all activities are carried out by hand. In their old-school cellar, a very cool and subsequently long fermentation occurs before aging over 12 months in mostly used 500-liter French barrels—one out of every eight barrels is renewed each year. 

Fabien Coche’s 2016 Bourgogne Blanc shows a brilliant straw-yellow core with bright green reflections moving out to a silver rim. Within moments of being opened, finely chiseled minerals leap out of the glass with highly perfumed acacia, honeysuckle, and a blend of ripened citrus and tree fruits. Its structure and perfume lingers for minutes, both on the nose and palate, showing fruits like green and yellow apple skin, white peach, Makrut lime, Anjou pear, and Meyer lemon. Then you experience the mouth-watering sensation of 2016, with its powerful duo of taut acidity and intense, crushed stone minerality. On the savory finish, delicate baking spices linger alongside the tension of a live-wire Puligny-Montrachet and the textural richness of Meursault. It should be noted that Fabien Coche is not a “pop and pour” wine that is only built for early drinking—this has serious pedigree, enough to keep for 5-10 years. Enjoying sooner is perfectly fine, too: Just decant for 30-60 minutes and serve in large Burgundy stems around 55 degrees. As for a pairing, how do prawns in a garlic-butter sauce sound to you? I’m salivating just thinking about it!