Jean-Marc Brocard – 2017

14.1.2019billn

Tasted with Odile van der Moere (Cellar Chief) in Préhy, 14 January 2019.

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

Odile on 2018:
Surprising, because generous but at the same time and the taste is great. We had plenty of grapes – also with juice. I waited for aromas of ripeness – maybe over-ripeness – but the wines are very nicely fresh so far – some cuvées a little low on acidity but not by much, and we had such clean grapes too. We did 3 weeks of harvesting – normally it’s 2 – from the start of September, slowly following the maturity. After 2 years of penury, we had very easy fermentations, practically all are now done without problems – 90% so far. The malos have not started yet.

Odile on 2017:
2017 was an average volume – lowish due to some hail – but about 50 hl/ha – so no complaints. Harvest was just 3 days different to 2018 – in fact earlier by three days – we missed a lot of rain in the summer so the maturity was a little blocked – some cooler evenings and a few mornings of dew turned it around. The vines really bounced back from the hail of 2016 – it was hard to do all the pruning after that hail, but there was plenty of wood which helped, but still not that easy in the vines – Prehy was, of-course the biggest challenge!. Another vintage where we harvested for about 20 days, not the more usual two weeks.

The wines…

Wow what a great range – I bought my 3rd and 4th cases of the biodynamic villages wine, but so much here is simply brilliant – they picked a little earlier, and have such a classic drive and freshness to their wines as a result.

All the 2017s are in bottle – done a little earlier this year ‘to try to keep the fresh aromas of the vintage‘ – 2/3rd were already done before the harvest. Since 2011 everything has been in DIAM.

2017 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 sweet, yellow-citrus fruit width – nicely fresh and inviting. Lovely volume in the mouth – mouth-watering with a good line of flavour, edged with salinity. Vibrant with a beautiful finishing peak of flavour. Excellent villages!

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis vieilles-Vignes
A similar width, a little more freshness, less depth of aroma. Extra intensity – small waves of fresh flavour – ooh – that’s great – reminiscent of 2014s but without the rigour and ‘hard’ aspect – juicy. Bravo!

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Montmains
Just from Montmains.
A more composed, indeed more elegant nose – fine and attractive – so far all these with a lemon-citrus fruit. Wide And intense like the last but with even more depth to the flavour. Super texture – fresh – alive – gorgeous. More of an agrume fruit finish.

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Vau de Vey
More aromatic depth again – sweeter fruit – almost a little vibration to the aroma – but so far all are fruit-driven wines. Hmm – more vibrant – here the first with a more overt minerality and an intensity to the freshness of flavour. A super burst of finishing flavour again and once-more more agrume-style fruit. Excellent.

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Côte de Léchet
A more top to bottom nose – rather than wide – here with more of a blend of lemon and lime citrus. Hmm – a wine with zing – this is a juicy wine, mouth-watering, saline – great intensity – yet still no hard edges. I just love this. Bravo!

I think we helped preserve this juiciness by bottling a little early. Okay forget 2016, but since 2015 we’ve really been trying to preserve this acidity as best we can.

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
More composed nose – almost a little creamy background to the lime fruit. More mineral – a little more richness of texture – incisive – less mouth-watering, but not by a lot. Certainly a more composed wine but beautifully textured too. Absolutely delicious, but today give me the Léchet. Excellent wine and great finishing too with a little wave of salinity.

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
Ooh – very different – lime, green leaves and freshness on the nose – a pyrazine element. In the mouth to there’s an impression of pyrazine mixed in with the freshness too. Long, intense finish – super wine and very different.

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Homme Mort
Hmm – different again – crystalline lemon, not so wide but with a little floral aspect too. Ooh – that’s completely vibrant and fresh – growing in intensity with a line and intensity that’s great. A cooler style vs the last too but a great Homme Mort – bravo!
2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Another more perfumed nose – more forward than the Homme Mort with acacia flowers in the mix. Also a similarly cool fruit to the last – an extra agrume fruit – like a more perfumed grapefruit. Ooh that’s great again! Bravo!
2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Butteaux
A narrower nose but also deeper with a riper, more golden fruit. Fresh, mineral, agrume, great clarity – almost a surprise after the golden fruit on the nose. Great wine again – flexing it’s muscles with fresh energy in the finish. Brilliant pure lemon finishing.
2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Vaulaurent
100% foudres elevage.
Less the golden style of the last more a fresh but sweet lime fruit. Ouch amost a little sour – so much great acidity – hard to keep in the mouth – this is for saving a couple of years. Great texture and waves of intense flavour. Long, long. Bravo!
2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Blanchot
Not the biggest nose but such a fine nose with myriad tiny complexities. Wide, fine intensity but cushioned by the extract – a depth of texture but still great line and intensity. More of everything but to the detriment of nothing. Great wine in 2017!

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Bougros
Extra depth to this nose – from a ripe, golden citrus fruit. Bigger, similarly fresh, a little less cushioning so a more overt energy. Today take the last wine ahead of this, but this is also brilliant wine…

2017 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Valmur
Hmm – a more considered nose, with a touch of herb – the wine with the least aromatic clarity today – rather it majors on intent with a suggestion of depth. Drive, freshness and minerality. Very fine energy here – cushion texture – but not by a lot. A wine of relaxed muscle – but muscle all the same. Excellent – such a great length.

The biodynamic wines of Julien Brocard:

2017 Julien Brocard Chablis Nature
Zero sulfur – also none at bottling, not especially higher CO2 either. Just a lenticular filtration before the bottling in July – same time as all the 1er crus, it was a fruit day!
Maybe a little darker colour – but not by much. A rounder nose though also a little tighter (after grand crus!) Full, growing in intensity, very round and mouth-filling. Good acidity – indeed delicious wine with a touch of salinity. A round wine rather than a wine of drive and line. I’m not completely sure that it tastes like Chablis (blind) but it does taste delicious and doesn’t taste like a natural wine.

2017 Julien Brocard Petit Chablis Les Plantes
A nice width of aroma – fresh but inviting too. A bit of gas. Equally mouth-filling but with more freshness and much more overt energy. A vibration of finishing flavour. This is great Petit Chablis with a finishing anecdote of salinity. Bravo!
2017 Julien Brocard Chablis La Boissonneuse
There was a first small bottling in April, the rest was done in July.
Really a very modest nose today some width of inviting yellow fruit but only that. An easy, narrow start but a wine that widens and widens with a mix of slightly sour agrume fruit but sweetly juicy after – the combination is compelling. Really an open-ended wine – that starts modest and finishes with greatness – what more can I ask from villages Chablis – even at €17! – I bought yet more…

2017 Julien Brocard Chablis 1er Vau de Vey
More open – though not by much – but with an elegant nose of clarity – it’s very inviting. Nice line and beautiful texture – a composed wine – not too much energy. But there is enviable purity to the agrume fruit – almost a suggestion of mandarin orange. Composed, wide finishing – absolutely delicious wine – excellent – with a little more energy this would be brilliant!

2017 Julien Brocard Chablis 1er Côte de Léchet
Ooh – still not super wide but there’s a really attractive depth to this ripe citrus fruit. In the mouth this is a small bundle of energy – not completely mouth-filling today – but such enviable complexity and deliciousness. Vibrant finishing. Bravo!
2017 Julien Brocard Chablis Les Preuses
A 15 hl foudre.
Hmm starts tight but a little swirling brings much complexity and interest, including a mix of very pure lemon and lime fruit. Ouch – that’s good. A really great intensity and attack, some oak but so modest – but nothing sharp to injure, it’s just very intense, with very pure flavour. This is magnificent and one of the best wines of my visit so far – day 6 from 15. Very bravo!

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There is one response to “Jean-Marc Brocard – 2017”

  1. fjelsea166516th February 2019 at 10:35 pmPermalinkReply

    Did you try any of the private label bottlings of their Chablis? If so, how did they compare to their regular bottling?

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