2016 Chablis Vaulorent 1er Cru

As usual, I journeyed up to the small village of Préhy to visit Domaine Jean-Marc-Brocard where I met with Julien Brocard and winemaker Odile van der Moere. Brocard is a relatively large winery but certainly under Julien’s regimen, who incepted his biodynamic “Les 7 Lieux”-range alongside, the ideals are more artisanal. “In 2017 we tried to harvest just a little earlier rather than later. So we started on 1 September and picked over the following three weeks, starting in Fourchaume and finishing in Montée de Tonnerre. In the end we lost 30% due to frost. In 2017 we are very happy that the year extracted the fine mineralité of the soil. There is a depth to the mineralité in 2017 so that you can see each cru.” This is a good, solid producer whose wines have a propensity to age well. Amongst the 2017s I was deeply impressed by the Bougros although, I find the Blanchots just missing some substance. The Premier Crus are all worth seeking out, especially the Fourchaume and the Chablis “Les Vieilles Vignes de 1946,” which offers excellent value.

The plateau of Préhy was at the epicenter of the savage late-May hailstorm in 2016 and subscribers may recall my photo of the blasted landscape around the winery taken two weeks later. Overall production at Domaine Brocard was down a whopping 60% from normal and the estate had to suspend its organic farming practices in order to save some fruit in badly affected vineyards. The harvest was shorter than usual, taking place between September 26 and October 6, with the fruit coming in at 11% potential alcohol and up and some parcels barely ripe. All of the wines were chaptalized, according to winemaker Odile Van der Moere, who noted that the estate made “correct” yields of about 50 hectoliters per hectare in vineyards that were unaffected by frost and hail. She considers the 2016 “very digestible” and predicts that they will be mid-term agers. “Neither 2016 nor 2015 is my favorite vintage but the ‘15s will be crowd-pleasers and they will offer early drinkability,” she added. “But neither of these years has the same acidity, minerality or structure as 2014 or 2012.”