Tasted with Julien Brocard, Pierre Brissy and Guillaume Hoog in Préhy, 06 January 2022.
Jean-Marc Brocard
3, route de Chablis
89800 Préhy
Tel: +33 3 86 41 49 00
www.brocard.fr
More reports with Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard
Guillaume & Pierre on 2021:
“In 2021 we lost at least 70% in our Petit Chablis, between 50 and 60% in the Chablis and generally about half a harvest for the rest…”
Guillaume & Pierre on 2020:
“The yields were a bit below the average but ‘correct.’ Our harvest started 24th August with super maturity. A vintage that has brought some classic wines – we worried about some blocking of the maturity but it seems that wasn’t the case. The fermentations started quickly and finished quickly too, without complications. Elevage brought some extra roundness. Almost all the wines are bottled, just a couple of GCs – Vaudesir and Grenouilles – we have decided to take our time but those are also imminently to be bottled…”
The wines…
A super set of wines from JM Brocard – but the Julien Brocard ‘collection’ of ‘Les Sept’ is also really fine…
Since 2011 everything has been in DIAM – “and the customers are happy.”
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Petit Chablis
A nose that starts tight but relaxes and opens in the glass – this is quite fine and pure – a lovely invitation. Easy but with a nice energy – becoming more structured and delicious as you head to the finish. A nice nose, an easy start and a great finish – very good PC!
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis
Mainly Courgis and Préhy. The best part of 100 hectares worth so there are a number of bottlings. All stainless-steel elevage, one racking at the end of fermentation but retaining all the lees – no batonnage.
A deeper nose – seemingly more concentrated and a little more mineral – that’s very attractive. Really extra concentration a framing of the flavours with a grain of tannin. A completely delicious finishing flavour – give this 6-12 months before attacking but this is another very good wine with a great finish.
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis St.Clair ‘Organic’
A narrower but nicely focused nose. Wide and faintly grained again – this a little more mouth-watering – almost with a juicy aspect. Certainly, a finishing weight, suggesting a hint lactic or similar but a tasty wine today.
A nose that’s a bit more vibrant – nicely pure of course and more overtly yellow-fruited. More direct again, more intense than slowly melting over the palate – vibrantly finishing with a bit of structure. Keep this a while – but it’s a great villages!
A mix of concrete ‘eggs’ and foudres for elevage. Same parcel as the last – vines on the plateau of Prehy. Organic – actually biodynamic – but an older planting date. Different form/shape of bottle.
That’s a super nose – finely airy, fluid and with ripe yellow-citrus precision. Impact, width, melting and mouthwatering in style. There’s plenty of density here – a wine that will improve for a few a years – the finish going in multiple directions – also a great villages!
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 1er Montmains
Just from Montmains.
Faintly, nobly, reductive. Deep, lots of concentration but also clarity to this richer-textured wine. Never any lack of balance and the finish is very impressive and shows a more direct line of mainly mineral flavour. That’s super…
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 1er Butteaux ‘Organic’
All Stockinger foudres for elevage. The highest part of JMB’s Montmains – ‘the maturity comes very quickly here.’
Also very deep but less obviously reductive. Extra mouth-filling, a clarity to this flavour, faintly tannic, still a little something in the background that I can’t put my finger on. Very persistent finishing – that’s another very impressive finish.
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 1er Vau de Vey
A middle-weight of aroma but the best nose so far with mineral complexity and clarity. A subtle grain to the structure here too – but here’s a vibrant line of beautiful flavour – this I love – excellent wine!
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 1er Côte de Léchet
Here the nose is more timid – not so easy to find the components. Also a palate of overt energy, faintly tannic again and super finishing – just a little behind the previous wine despite the extra energy – still, very, very good!
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis 1er Fourchaume
A fuller nose of more golden-yellow citrus. A nice blend of density and mouth-filling shape. A wine that is full of flavour and very Fourchaume – it will get better and better but wait a couple of years – 10 would be even better!
A more airy width – less golden fruit – this is very attractive. I like the cool width of flavour here where I think there’s a subtle reduction but it’s complex and absorbing. Possibly a great wine!
Yes – the first nose where I stand up and say ‘Yes!’ – here is a depth of multidimensional and mineral complexity. Direct, vibrant flavour, widening and melting over the palate – with cool fruit and attendant complexity. The last part, with a bit more definition – and time will probably bring that – makes for a great wine! The finish just growing and snowballing downhill as it gathers volume and pace…
A vertical nose of pretty florals above and a bit more mineral density below – slowly widening with air. Ooh – but let’s not discount this wine either – extra-wide, vibrant, almost dynamic flavoured. More slowly fading than the finish of the MdT – simply excellent and also possibly a great wine.
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis Bougros
A relatively compact nose but still showing plenty of floral complexity. Really a mouth-filling and compellingly flavoured wine – there’s a finely divided complexity here that makes me think a little of Mont de Milieu – it’s completely delicious.
2020 Jean-Marc Brocard, Chablis Vaudesir
Here’s another vertical nose – a bit of barrel showing in the higher tones. Supple, layered, a certain richness that’s cut by super minerality and a growing intensity of flavour. A touch of barrel in the finishing flavour too – but modest. Wait at least 2 years and I expect there will be no barrel to see. Another delicious wine…
The biodynamic wines of Julien Brocard ‘Les 7 Lieux:’
Only the Montée de Tonnerre lacks AB/Demeter – organic certification – it’s in conversion and will have it in 2021
Opposite the JMB winery.
Ooh – that’s good – wide, vibrant, mineral, suggesting a reduction too. Mouth-filling, energetic, yes a little reductive, super mineral – great PC! I just love this energy!
Here in 1998 were the domaine’s first tests in biodynamics
Nicely round, suggesting but never really delivering a proper accent of wood in the complexity. Even larger in the mouth – cool flavour, tons of energy – slightly granular complexity again – but in this case more a structural thing with a grain of tannin. Another top wine and a house-wine candidate.
2020 Julien Brocard, Chablis 1er Vaudevey
Ooh – that’s a great nose – almost the level of the MdT. Mouth-filling deeply and very attractively mineral – holding a changing, mobile, floral-accented finishing flavour – compelling, almost captivating. Really excellent, almost great.
2020 Julien Brocard, Chablis 1er Côte de Léchet
A wider, more vibrant, higher-toned yellow-citrus nose, possibly some oak in the mix here too. Here there’s some depth and a little extra richness to the flavours – faintly oaked this time – give it a couple of years to regain its incisiveness. Very good…
2020 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
Hmm – a little reduction but here is more minerality and salinity – that’s a proper Chablis for sure. Really a whirlwind of energy and flavour complexity – that’s super – I really don’t note any barrel effects. The finish is almost surprisingly calm after the start of this wine – but it’s long and delicious. This is excellent wine…
One of my wines of the year in the 2017 vintage, more discrete in 2018 but back to form in 2019 and 2020.
A concentrated width of aroma here – ripe but fresh. Mouth-filling but it’s not just about volume it’s about the complexity that comes with it and here is a lot – calmer than the last Tonnerre but also more complex. Fine balance and then a burst of finishing flavour. That’s an excellent finish already, potentially a great one with a bit of time. Love!
2020 Chablis Nature
Zero added sulfur – also not at the time of bottling which was the start of September.
It smells just a little older – but no surprise without sulfur – a faint apple, more like a crémant, but no extra colour. Super shape in the mouth – there’s some concentration and associated richness but it is texturally beautiful. Wide and involving – don’t wait for these, drink them and enjoy them – this is delicious now…