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Coche Dury in the Banlieue

Wednesday, 13th October 2010 by Stephen Browett

Off to Paris for the weekend to attend the 30th anniversary of Willi's Wine Bar. We wander the streets of the 1er arrondissement on Saturday morning and thoughts turn to lunch. I sense that my wife is thinking of somewhere chic on the Champs Elysées or the Boulevard Saint Germain, but I have another destination in mind - ten stops away on metro route 13, deep in the Parisian suburbs. This is the equivalent of staying in Mayfair and deciding to have lunch in Croydon. What was I thinking of? Well, quite simply, while Sophie was trying on handbags in the Rue Saint Honoré , my one-track mind was thinking only of Coche-Dury. Homer Simpson dreams of doughnuts, I dream of Coche.

Le Coq de la Maison Blanche

I had heard rumours of the holy Grail of Coche but wasn't sure that it really existed. Some early morning googling had revealed an address. Now was the time to seize the opportunity and head to Saint Ouen. Unfortunately Sophie knows her way round Paris pretty well so she was not exactly impressed when I announced our destination as we boarded the metro. Saint Ouen is a dreary suburb to the North West of Paris with a bad reputation. "Au Coq de la Maison Blanche" is situated on the corner of the main road and a side street opposite a staggeringly ugly concrete skating rink. Inside the doors, it was very different. The Patron, Monsieur Francois, led us out to a patio garden at the back, an oasis of calm away from the roaring traffic and wailing sirens outside.

Coche Dury in a goldfish bowl

I asked for the wine list and soon a broad smile followed. I had found it! Coche heaven! It turns out that Monsieur Francois has been buying direct from Monsieur Coche since 1975 and he gets around 600 bottles a year - surely one of the biggest Coche allocations in the world.

The complete Coche Line-up was here from Aligoté to Corton Charlemagne - the full Monty.

  • Aligoté
  • Bourgogne
  • Meursault
  • Puligny Enseignères
  • Meursault Rougeots
  • Meursault Caillerets
  • Meursault Perrières
  • Corton Charlemagne

Meursault Perrieres - Coche Dury

Prices ranged from 30 euros to 370 euros. The Corton Charlemagne was very tempting at a third of the open market price but, after seriously considering the 2005 Puligny Enseignères at 116 euros, we went for the Meursault Perrieres 2007 at 220, tout compris. What a wine it was. A bright, lightish colour and initially reserved on the nose. The palate was incredibly intense yet focussed, precise and linear. There were hints of honey and nectarines but they were kept firmly in check by the brisk acidity and wonderfully pure minerality. A real class act. While so many White Burgundies disappoint, Coche delivers the goods.

Oysters and Coche

We had top notch but simple food to go with our Meursault. Oysters that tasted like they had just been pulled from the sea and the plumpest, sweetest scallops that I have ever eaten. Nothing fancy here, just the best ingredients done properly. M Francois was a charming, good humoured and self deprecating host. When there was a little cock-up on the catering front he declared with a smile "si j'etais competant je ne serais pas patron". But don't be fooled, this is a man who knows what he's doing and he admitted later that he was hoping we'd choose the Puligny as my choice meant one less Meursault Perrieres for him! Despite being a Saturday lunchtime, the restaurant was busy with local families (including a 98th birthday party for a Grande Dame) who were here for the food rather than the wine.

We polished off the Meursault Perrieres with the last scallop. Simply perfect.

Back to reality outside as 'les flics' were searching dodgy looking youths at the nearby station. The last taste of Coche slowly faded and suddenly it felt like we were back in Croydon.

Patron Monsieur Francois and his tie full of cockerels

"Au Coq de la Maison Blanche" is situated quite close to the Stade de France (if you happen to be in Paris for the rugby or football). The address is:

37 Boulevard Jean Jaurès
93400
Saint Ouen

Metro: Mairie de Saint Ouen

Tel: 00 33 1 40 11 01 23

www.lecoqdelamaisonblanche.com

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