Jean-Marc Brocard – 2016

Update 22.1.2018(16.1.2018)billn

Tasted with Julien Brocard and Odile van der Moere (Cellar Chief) in Préhy, 16 January 2018.

Jean-Marc Brocard
3, route de Chablis
89800 Préhy
Tel: +33 3 86 41 49 00
www.brocard.fr

Odile on 2017:
In 2017 the vines came back really well from the hail of 2016 – giving between 40-45 hl/ha – though some parcels were more frost affected and this lead to some differences in maturity at harvest. Because of that we harvested for about 20 days, not the more usual two weeks. It’s a vintage that looks precise and direct with salinity and elegance. There’s plenty of material. Rounder wines vs 2016, though also some very classic areas too showing lower pHs. The fermentations are running without a hitch.

Julien on 2016:
Catastrophic.

“We were hailed pretty much 100%. The crus are not so bad, but the Chablis and Petit Chablis were largely lost – no harvest in the bio parcels either. Really a vintage where we will be happy to turn the page!

The wines…

All DIAM – 5 or 10 – with some differences in length too depending on the cuvée

Last year I said ‘Fine to really brilliant’ – this year I can comfortably stay with that short-hand – it’s just a shame that the promising range of Bio wines were lost in 2016.

2016 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis
(Usually) 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 tight nose on opening – a little yellow fruit. Round in the mouth, supple, nicely layered and a lovely mouth-watering effect. Getting better and better in the glass – lovely wine.

2016 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis vieilles-Vignes
Wide, vibrant – a really attractive and inviting nose – super. A suggestion of gas but really an extra brightness to growing intensity and delicious flavour – a hint of saline complexity to compliment. Excellent – a super wine with a hint of florals in the finish too! Love.

2016 Chablis 1er Montmains
Just from Montmains. Bottled in October
Here’s a slightly biscuit reduction on opening – still quite tight after aeration but much, much, more open. Wider, a hint more depth of flavour – really a super combination of texture and growing fresh flavour. Composed, delicious and with depth of flavour – yum! Extra interest – super interest in the finish!

2016 Chablis 1er Vau de Vey
Bottled last week
Much more open, more vibrantly mineral. A different style of wine – fresh, overt, direct, less depth of texture, mobile in the mouth, small waves of finishing flavour – yes! Super wine!

2016 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Bottled last week
Ooh – yes – a wide and beautifully vibrant nose – I want to drink this! Texture that’s half-way between the last two wines – more mineral – than Montmains, a growing citric fruit and acidity combination. This is completely delicious – concentrated too. Excellent!

2016 Chablis 1er Butteaux
This to be bottled this week
A beautifully fine, pure nose but really not much open volume. Juicy in the mouth, really mouth-watering wine – there’s intensity that never seems too much but forward all the same. The finish is wide and very fine, partly floral too – tight in the start and middle despite how mouth-watering it is but the finish is really fine…

2016 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
Tank sample, will be bottled soon.
A pure nose of quite some depth and openness – a relaxed but fine nose. Really wide, mouth-watering again – almost a sherbet style – mineral but deliciously so, accented with a pretty salinity and citrus skin bitters – not showing everything today – but from what there is, this could be a great Mont de Milieu…
2016 Chablis 1er Vaulaurent
100% foudres elevage. Recently bottled.
A deep nose, lots of aromatic reflections, some barrel notes in here too – but more sweetness than spice or vanilla – from the foudres. Ooh – pure agrumes, melting, mouth-watering, juicy flavour. Really mouth-filling. What a wine! Bravo!

2016 Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnèrre
Less open this nose, there’s some width below – mineral with faint flashes of sweet fruit. Good direction, growing concentration of flavour and fresh intensity – in tandem. This has some similarities to the last but is a little more reticent/compact today. Open and lovely in the finish – tons of potential here.

2016 Chablis Bougros
Really deep and rather oaked – directly I wouldn’t touch one for at least 2-3 years. Wide, depth of concentrated flavour, super texture, rather mineral – but all is wrapped in an oak flavour today – which whilst delicious is not particularly Chablis – wait 3 years… Such a great line in the finish… “The foudres now have 5-6 wines behind them but the oak flavour seems to come and go in phases!

2016 Chablis Blanchots
A little more golden colour. More vibrant a little butterscotch, really some (slightly reductive) depth here – and the oak is very subtle. More volume in the mouth, much more overt complexity, silky textured with just a little cushioning – really wide and delicious in the finish. Lovely wine – super!

2016 Chablis Valmur
This is more fresh and oaky – though less than Bougros. More direct, fabulous in the mouth – there is everything here – so much so that I can forgive the relatively modest oak – great wine, with so many layers of finishing flavour – Bravo!
2016 Chablis Les Clos
Also a fine and vibrant nose of quite some dimension – no oak to see. Ooh – direct, concentrated but intense and fresh – ooh what a wine! Super mineral, no austerity but still a hard proposition given the intensity – wow!

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