2006 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru

I was joined for this tasting by Julien Brocard and Nadine Gublin, whom the Brocards had just hired to replace Patrick Piuze (Gublin is also responsible for winemaking at Domaine Jacques Prieur). A visit to Brocard can be a confusing marathon due to the sheer number of bottlings, but at least this time all the wines I tasted will indicate Jean-Marc Brocard on the label, except for the Domaine de la Boissonneuse. Julien Brocard believes that the 2007s will be better agers than the 2006s thanks to their healthy levels of acidity. The best fruit was harvested between September 16 and 22, he told me, with the hailed-on parcels generally picked toward the end. The wines had not yet been racked when I tasted at the end of May, with the exception of the Cote de Lechet. (Martine's Wines, Novato, CA) Also recommended: 2006 Chablis Domaine de la Boissonneuse (85), 2006 Chablis Domaine Sainte Claire (85).

"The 2005s are significantly higher in acidity than the 2006s as well as more concentrated," said cellarmaster Patrick Piuze, "but the 2006s may be more typical Chablis due to their balance. They're more minerally and less fruit-driven wines. They're not bombs but they have finesse, structure and personality." Piuze admitted that most of his colleagues in Chablis prefer their 2005s, but noted that this may be partly because there was less room for error in 2006 due to the narrow window for harvesting ripe, healthy fruit. (I also got the feeling that Piuze has taken the Brocard wines to a higher level in 2006.) He used very little press wine in 2006 as the pHs of this juice tended to be too high. Following quick alcoholic and malolactic fermentations, all the wines except for the Clos were racked in mid-February. Piuze planned to use a bit more CO2 than usual to retain maximum freshness. (Martine's Wines, Novato, CA) Also recommended: 2005 Chablis Vieilles Vignes Domaine Sainte-Claire (86), 2005 Chablis Vau de Vey (86).