2007 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru

Like a number of his colleagues in Chablis, Julien Brocard told me the 2007s were a little hard in their early months in bottle and will need time. He seemed to prefer the young 2008s, from a growing season that featured what he called a "so-so summer, fairly cool." The wines, he said, have as much acidity as the 2007s but they possess more density of material and very good harmony between minerality and fruit. My extensive tasting of the estate's '08s turned up a number of very promising wines, especially at the level of the top crus. The new vintage is the first crop of wines made by consulting enologist Nadine Gublin, who serves in the same role at Domaine Jacques Prieur in Meursault.

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).