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JM Brocard

Jean-Marc Brocard is the son of a farmer from Chaudenay-le-Château in the Côte d'Or. Despite growing up in this fabled region, his background is firmly agricultural rather than viticultural, but this mattered not once he had married Claudine, of a winemaking family in St-Bris-le-Vineau near Chablis. Through marriage he acquired just 1 hectare of vines, a gift from Claudine's father, and he produced his first vintage in 1974. Over the years, Jean-Marc's estate has grown to cover an area of about 100 hectares. The heart of the Brocard estate is Domaine Sainte-Claire, which was in part acquired from one of Brocard's early mentors, a local vigneron by the name of Louis Petit. In addition, however, there is a thriving négociant business, turning out several million bottles, mainly Chablis or locally produced Bourgogne Blanc in the Chablis mould, although there are small quantities of the region's less common appellations; Irancy, Sauvignon de St-Bris and also Crémant de Bourgogne.

JM BrocardJM Brocard is now very much a family concern, with Jean-Marc's three children all involved in the running of the business. The eldest, Stéphane, left his career in banking to take over an administrative role, whereas Julien threw in his engineering studies to take over vineyard management. There seems to be a trend here, confirmed when Céline, Jean-Marc's daughter and his youngest child, switched from studying medicine to wine. She now looks after marketing; I hope she made the right decision. Although there are many more vital team members, it is worth mentioning Clotilde Lavenne, oenologist at JM Brocard. She was taken on as cellar master and technical director in 1989, as the business was experiencing significant expansion, and Jean-Marc's friend and assistant, Louis Petit, was ageing.

The Brocard winery is impressive; built in stages from 1980, it houses stainless steel temperature-controlled fermentation vats with not a barrel to be seen; Brocard falls firmly in the 'no oak' camp. The range of Chablis to be found in these tanks starts with the Petit Chablis, which can be very successful in a strong vintage. There is a basic Chablis as well as a Vieilles Vignes cuvée. Premier Cru examples include Vaucoupin, Montmains, Fourchaume and Beauregard, whereas the grands crus include Les Clos, Bougros, Vaudésir and Valmur. There are also special Chablis bottlings, including the Sensations range - premier cru cuvées defined by micro-terroirs within the Chablis AC. Outside of the Chablis range, probably the most noteworthy wines are the terroir-focused Bourgogne Blanc cuvées, as follows;

JM Brocard is the antithesis of the small scale vigneron that typifies much of Burgundy, including Chablis. This is no artisanal producer; this is big business. Nevertheless, the quality is good, especially if one confines oneself to the home-grown Chablis such as those from the Domaine Sainte-Claire, rather than the négociant examples, even though these wines do have something to offer. (27/7/05)

Contact details:
Address: 3 route de Chablis, 89300 Prehy
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 86 41 49 00
Fax: +33 (0) 5 86 41 49 09
Internet: www.domaine-brocard.fr

JM Brocard - Tasting Notes

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2004

JM Brocard Kimmeridgien Bourgogne Blanc 2004: The first in the range of wines reflecting the terroir of Chablis. Smoky mineral nose here. Similar character on the palate. Medium bodied, with decent acidity. Flavours just coming through. A little finesse. Good fresh style. For current drinking. 14.5/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Portlandien Bourgogne Blanc 2004: A more dense, more solid nose, if that's possible. Similar character on the palate, a full and weighty presence. More masculine in style. Decent acidity. Less commendable than the more classic Kimmeridgien. Drink now. 14/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Jurassique Bourgogne Blanc 2004: Subtle, smoky, showing some nice white fruit on the nose. Fresher acidity, with some notes of cream. This has a good presence on the palate, and in this vintage is the better of the three cuvées, to my palate. For current drinking. 15/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Petit Chablis 2004: Bottled under screwcap. Cordite and mineral nose; this is good. Plump mouthfeel, with notes of talc, but also a little soapy and perfumed. Showing rather soft acidity. Rather a letdown - but bear in mind this is only Petit Chablis - although it is clearly inferior to the 2002 and 2003. 14/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis 2004: Classic nose; citrusy lemon with a mineral streak. Slightly plump palate, more mineral character and less perfumed than the Petit Chablis. Still a little short on acidity and structure though. Nevertheless, fairly good. 14.5+/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Montmains 2004: Good nose here, showing mineral and iodine notes. Soft and plump palate, with ripe citrus fruit, and a low acid, slightly confected feel. After the promising nose, this is a let down. Some nice minerality though. 14.5+/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 2004: A more focused nose here. Lemon and cordite blended together. Fresher, with better acidity, although still quite plump and round. But certainly has more potential. Nice minerality. Drink now and over the next five years. 15+/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Beauregard 2004: A more open nose, with stony, lemony notes. Clean, precise palate, showing much better structure than the previous wines. Still has a rather perfumed character though. But it has potential. 15+/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2004: Some notes of honey coming in here. Full, chalky-honey character, with good richness and viscosity coming through on the palate. Nicely persistent finish. Good potential here. 16.5+/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir 2004: Slightly exotic nose, showing hints of ripe stone fruit over and above the usual lemony-mineral style. Lacks a little focus though. Soft white fruits, with a mineral edge, on the palate. Not quite up to the quality of Les Clos Good, with very good potential. 16+/20 (May 2005)

2003

JM Brocard Petit Chablis 2003: The subsequent vintage has a good depth of colour also. Similarly styled nose; crystalline white fruits, with a sense of rounded plumpness. Lovely presence of fruit on the palate, and it does indeed have a delightful ripe fatness to the texture. Acidity just slightly lower than one might expect, reflecting the ripe vintage, but it has appropriate balance. Not classic, but it gives great pleasure. 16/20 (October 2004)

JM Brocard Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2003: Super, expressive nose; rocks and white fruits. Focused, fresh, minerals and rocks. White fruits, pears, and a touch of perfume. Nice honeycomb richness, warm and ripe, and a hint of emerging complexity. This is very good. 16+/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Vaucoupin 2003: A fine nose; again, focused, with a honeycomb streak. Full, with good acidity and strong flavour. Plump fruit, with good minerality. This has good potential. 16+/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Beauregard 2003: Fresh, lemony, rocky minerality here. Soft, plump, slightly perfumed. Good feel in the mouth, quite easy drinking. Good mineral style, a nuance of honeycomb and coffee just evolving. Very good potential here. 16+/20 (May 2005)

JM Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2003: Bright, focused, honeyed. Some vinosity evident on the palate. Style is evident here. Cordite notes poke through, great rocky minerality poking through, and a great finish. This is very good. 16.5+/20 (May 2005)

2002

JM Brocard Petit Chablis 2002: A good, ripe colour for a Chablis. And a lovely ripe fruit nose as well. Not typical, but with delightful tropical-edged, crystalline fruits. A full, flavoursome palate, with a melon edge to the fruit here. Oily and fat, yet with a very fresh, balanced feel. Super acidity. Overall very approachable. Excellent use of the appellation, even if it diverges from the region's classic style. Drink now. 16/20 (October 2004)

2000

JM Brocard Chablis 2000: Plenty of fruit on the nose of this Chablis. It maintains some restraint on the palate though, which has some soft fruit combined with soft, unobtrusive acidity. From an Oddbins tasting. 15/20 (November 2001)

JM Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Bougros 2000: From magnum. Served a little too warm. Honeyed, tropical fruit nose. Full. Firm minerality showing well, and good structure. But rather unfocused and flabby, reflecting serving temperature. Difficult to score with great certainty. 16.5+?/20 (May 2005)

1998

JM Brocard Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin 1998: There is an edge of honeyed oak to the nose. Bright and vibrant on entry, with plenty of fruit, and just a mealy edge from a sensible application of oak. This is drinking well now, but would benefit from a year or two more in bottle. From an Oddbins tasting. 16.5+/20 (November 2001)

1997

JM Brocard Kimmeridgien Bourgogne Blanc 1997: An attractive lemon-gold hue. The nose has a flinty element, but also a faint, buttery richness, a suggestion of lemon curd and some limey acidity. The palate has medium weight, a good combination of citrus acidity and buttery fatness, although the overall impression is not one of a rich wine. Finishes nicely. A good Chablis look-alike. 15.5/20 (July 2000) Label

1996

JM Brocard Chablis 1er Cru Montmains Domaine Sainte Claire 1996: This has a good mineral element to the nose when opened - classic Chablis. But there are hints of richness too, with even a hint of pineapple, and an oatmealy edge. As the wine opens up this becomes even more prominent. On the palate there is crisp acidity married with rich yet elegant, buttery fruit, which builds on the palate to give a weighty, creamy, butterscotch, endpalate. Lovely finish, with a lingering, savoury length. Undoubtedly the best Brocard bottling I can recall. 17/20 (April 2001) Label