The Les Chevalières vineyard is one of many lieu-dits (named vineyards) in Meursault with the kind of proven excellence and “who’s-who” ownership that causes one to wonder why it isn’t classified Premier Cru at least. It is positioned at the northern end of Meursault near the village border with Auxey-Duresses and Monthélie, surrounded by several similarly esteemed lieu-dits such as “Les Luchets” (Roulot makes a noteworthy version) and “Les Meix Chavaux.” These sites sit at around the same position on the slope as the assorted Meursault Premier Crus further south, but the aspects are marginally different: “Les Chevalières” faces more directly east, and curls a little to the northeast, while the Premier Crus skew east/southeast. It is a subtle difference to be sure, and there’s no shortage of love for Les Chevalières as site known for structured, tensile wines, with luminaries such as Fichet, Xavier Monnot, and Matrot making wines with the designation.

Coche’s ’18 is absolutely pristine, powerful, and dancing-on-the-head-of-a-pin balanced, with a well-integrated oak imprint: It aged 12 months in 10% new barrels, then was racked into neutral oak barrels and aged for an additional eight months. In the glass, it displays a reflective yellow-gold hue moving to green and silver at the rim. The aromas are explosive and immediate, requiring just a few swirls of the glass to fill the immediate area with scents of yellow apple, assorted citrus, lemon curd, baking spices, brioche dough, crushed oyster shells, and wet stones. Medium-plus to full in body, it has a characteristically voluptuous Meursault texture check by laser-beam acidity. Even at this young stage, it’s got everything in the right place, and many more years of graceful evolution ahead of it.