Is Dancer the next Coche-Dury?

I am not really qualified to answer this question, having only tasted four wines made by Jean- Francois Coche, but I have heard it said that Vincent Dancer is the next great winemaker in the Cote de Beaune. The few wines that I have tasted from the legendary Coche-Dury were clearly of the highest quality, but each was very young (2004 vintage). I have read several articles that paint Monsieur Coche as a true artist and the wines bottled by his petit domaine have attracted a cult-like following. When tasting a wine from Coche-Dury, the first characteristic which strikes me is the beautiful texture. There are many full-bodied wines produced in the world today, but only select few are also elegant. Jean-Francois Coche has proven that he can produce wines of power and finesse, but would the bottles in Dancer's cellar reveal this same balance?.

I visited the domaine on 3/19 with great anticipation. Vincent is a young artist (probably in his mid-thirties) who started this domaine a dozen years ago with land inherited from his mother's family in Meursault and his father's in Chassagne. The intellectual demeanor this winemaker portrays does not hint at arrogance or pretention, just quiet confidence. Speaking of being an artist, Vincent is an avid photographer and has created an interesting visual blog (see link). The following wines are bottled:

Rouge

Beaune, Montrevenots, 1er Cru, 2006 - 10 year old vines. Firm feel in the mouth, good texture. Excellent.

Pommard, Les Perrieres, 2006 -This lieu-dit lies above the N 74, just below the 1er Cru Les Petits Epinots. Very round and rich. Nice soft texture. Excellent.

Chassagne-Montrachet, La Grand Borne, 1er Cru, 2006 - This lieu-dit lies can also be labeled Morgeot. Good fruit, rich texture and soft feel. Very good.

Blanc

***interesting side note: Dancer does not perform any batonnage.***

Meursault, 2006 - Really pure and elegant. Great sensation of minerals on the finish. Long flavors and beautiful texture.

Meursault, Les Grand Charrons, 2006 - 30 year old vines in a lieu-dit which sits just north of the 1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or. Rich feel and soft texture. Great length. Excellent.

Chassagne-Montrachet, Tete du Clos, 1er Cru, 2006 - 50 year old vines in one of the best sections of Chassagne. A big wave of liquid minerals hit the palate. Once again, the wine's texture stands out for the way it shapes the wine. Great length. Terrific.

Chassagne-Montrachet, La Romanee, 1er Cru, 2006 - 29 year old vines located just north of the Tete du Clos parcel. A richer wine with longer flavors that are more tropical. Really good.

Meursault, Perrieres, 1er Cru, 2006 - 45 year old vines located in arguably Meursault greatest terroir. Long and full of minerals. Great soft texture. Terrific wine.

Chevalier-Montrachet, Grand Cru, 2006 - 56 year old vines, one barrel (25 cases) produced. Very long and mineral. Rich, but also elegant. The fruit is more peachy in this wine and the finish is very persistent. Really good at the moment, but I have a feeling the wine is just playing with me and not showing everything.

As the notes show, all the wines I sampled were really good, but do they compare to the wines from Coche-Dury? The rare bottles which trickle from Coche's cellar are very individual and probably cannot be duplicated, but Monsieur Dancer is a winemaker in same mold. Both are artists who caress the grapes from their terroir and achieve that magical balance of power and finesse. Vincent Dancer has yet to attain the superstar status of Jean-Francois Coche, but it may just be a matter of time. I have started praying to various Greek and Eygtian Gods that writers will not create such hype about Dancer's wines, but they probably will (good thing no one reads this blog).