This domaine is a fruit of love. Jean- Marc Brocard is from the Côte d’Or region of Burgundy and fell in love with the daughter of a winemaker in Chablis. As a wedding gift, the couple got 2.5 acres of a vineyard near the church of Saint Claire in Préhy, in the vicinity of the town of Chablis. In 1973 JeanMarc established the domaine Jean-Marc Brocard and developed the estate into a domaine with over 200 acres under vine. He had no prior connection with wine and trained with his father inlaw to learn everything about winemaking. In 1996, Julien Brocard joined his father with the goal to convert to organic and biodynamic farming. The process is still ongoing. ‘La Boissonneuse’ vineyard was the first one to start with the transition process in 1997 and ‘Vielles Vignes’ followed in 2001. Today, Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard is run by the ‘father-son’ team and stands for the upper echelon of Chablis wines.
Jean-Marc Brocard greeted us.
Chablis
Chablis is part of the Bourgogne wine region, but wines from Chablis are usually referred to by their own name. Chablis is up in the north, a separate wine region.
Burgundy is the most terroir-oriented region in France. Immense attention is paid to the area of origin, as opposed to Bordeaux, where classifications are producer-driven and awarded to individual chateaux. In Burgundy, a specific vineyard or region will bear a given classification, regardless of the wine producer.
The main levels in the Chablis classifications, in descending order of quality, are:
(1) At the top of the classification are the Grand Cru vineyards, which are all located on a single hillside near the town of Chablis. The Grand Cru vineyards cover a 106 hectare area, made up of 7 “Climats” (Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur and Vaudersir) and account for around 3% of Chablis’ production.
(2) Second in quality are the Premier Cru vineyards, covering an area of 750 hectares, gathered together into 40 “Climats”.
(3) Next is the generic AOC Chablis, the largest appellation.
(4) At the lowest end of the classification is Petit Chablis, which comprises the outlying land.
Chablis wines are almost all Chardonnay, bone-dry and fresh, with good acidity. Compared with the whites from the rest of Burgundy, Chablis tends to have much less influence of oak. Typically, Chablis is completely unoaked, vinified in stainless steel tanks, although many Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines receive some maturation in oak barrels. But aging time in the barrel and the share of new wood tends to be much smaller than for white wines of the Cote d’Or.
Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard
Jean-Marc Brocard was born in the small village of Chaudenay-le-Château in the Côte d'Or of the Bourgogne. Jean-Marc's father was a farmer, without any connection to wine. Jean-Marc’s marriage to his childhood sweetheart Claudine - the daughter of Emile Petit, a vigneron from the village of St-Bris-le-Vineux, a little town in Chablis, the most northerly wine-growing area of the Bourgogne, led him to wine. As a wedding present to the young couple, Emile bestowed upon them one hectare of vines near the Church of Sainte Clair, and in 1972 Domaine Brocard was born.
Starting with 1 hectare of vines, Jean-Marc Brocards has created an estate of some 180 hectares vineyards in Chablis and elsewhere in the Bourgogne.
In the beginning, Jean-Marc spent countless hours with the old vignerons of Chablis in an effort to master his new craft, and to learn the nuances of the vine. In particular, Jean-Marc acknowledges a considerable debt to one of the old vignerons of St-Cyr les Colons, a man named Louis Petit, who despite the name is unrelated to his father-in-law. The oldest vines of the Domaine Sainte Claire came from Louis Petit and it was he who gave to Jean-Marc the sense of tradition and a respect for nature, showing him that you can still maintain the old traditions, while practicing modern methods.
In 1996, Julien Brocard joined his father with the firm idea to convert to organic and biodynamic farming. La Boissonneuse vineyard was converted to Biodynamie in 1997 and ‘Vielles Vignes’ in 2001. Nowadays, Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard is run by the ‘Father-Son’ team Jean-Marc and Julien.
The Terroir
Situated near Auxerre in the valley of the Serein River, Chablis is one of France’s oldest wine growing regions. Prized by French kings and always found on the best tables in the 19th century, Chablis wines were considered prestigious.
Chablis wines take their famous mineral and fresh character from the vine’s roots which dig deep into the Kimméridgien limestone. This unique soil condition - chalk, limestone and fossilized oyster shells – is named for a stage of the late Jurassic period some 150 million years ago. The glacier forced to the surface an ancient sea floor from the Kimmeridgian era that had long been covered by soil and rock. This unique soil is what has made Burgundy the world famous wine region that it is today.
Jean-Marc Brocard: "The truth of wine lies in the soil where it has grown. The technique is an important factor in the wine growing, but it is only an aid, the wine is essentially the product of its soil." also " The soil of Chablis is exceptional and cannot be found anywhere in the world ; therefore I am a hard believer of the future of Chablis even for the next Millennium."
In reference to the lack of chemicals in the vineyard, Jean Marc says: "Our policy is to encourage the natural auto-immune system of the vine. Ploughing replaces herbicides and a good dose of well-rotted cow manure encourages the natural microbial activity of the soil."
This is not to say that Jean-Marc is afraid of technology or modernization, as he was the first winemaker in Chablis to use mechanical harvesting as a means to bring the fruit into the winery as fast as possible to preserve their fresh qualities.
Vigneron and Negociant
Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard is also a negociant. In 1980 a sparkling new winery was built near the little church of Sainte Claire and since then only the most cutting edge of technologies have been implemented in the facility. Total production is 4,000,000 bottles a year. The company exports 60% of its produce mainly to the UK, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Japan and the USA.
Wine-pairing Lunch
After we arrived, we had lunch.
Cauliflower Soup
Pork Tenderloin with Sauce Irancy
Cheese
Dessert
2010 Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Butteaux
2008 Jean Marc Brocard Domaine Sainte Claire Irancy Les Mazelots
2013 Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent
Tasting
The visit ended with a tasting.
2014 Jean Marc Brocard Petit Chablis
2013 Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Sainte Claire
2014 Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Les Vieilles Vignes
2013 Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Veau de Vey
2011 Jean Marc Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Postings: Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: From Lyon to Reims - Wine, Food, Culture and History (Published and Forthcoming Postings)
Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: From Lyon to Reims - Wine, Food, Culture and History
Dinner at a Bouchon - Chez Paul - in Lyon: Schiller’s Favorite Bouchons in Lyon, France
Introduction to the Burgundy Wine Region at Antic Wine in Lyon with Flying Sommelier Georges Dos Santos - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, Paul Bocuse’s Iconic Restaurant in Collonges au Mont d’Or, France - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
In the Most Prestigious AOC in the Mâconnais: Pouilly-Fuissé, France
Vineyard Walk, Cellar Walk and Tasting at Domaine Ferret in Fuissé, Poully Fuissé, Mâconnais, with Winemaker Audrey Braccini - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Visit and Tasting at Domaine Georges Descombes in Vermont, Villié-Morgon, Beaujolais - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Restaurant Le Mercurey in Mercurey - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
At Domaine Theulot-Juillot in Mercurey, Côte Chalonnaise, with Nathalie Theulot - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour of Château de Rully and Tasting of Domaine du Château de Rully Wines, with Count Raoul de Ternay - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Michel Prunier & Fille in Auxey Duresses, Côte de Beaune - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Where Robert Parker likes to Eat: Lunch at La Crémaillère in Auxey-Duresses - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Walk in Meursault with Karoline Knoth - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner at the 1 Michelin Star Restaurant Ed.Em in Chassagne Montrachet - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Olivier Leflaive in Puligny Montrachet: Vineyard Walk and Cellar Tour, with Olivier and Patrick Leflaive - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France
Lunch and Wine Tasting at La Table de Olivier in Puligny Montrachet with Olivier Leflaive – Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France
Visit: Hospices de Beaune – Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France
Lunch in a Typical French Brasserie: Le Carnot in Beaune - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Visit and Tasting: Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune – Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne
An American Making Ultra-Premium Wines in Burgundy: Visit and Tasting at Domaine Dublère in Savigny lès Beaune, with Owner/ Winemaker Blair Pethel - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting Natural Wines with Maurice Marle at Chez Maurice in Beaune - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Domaine Faiveley in Nuits St. Georges - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting from Barrel at Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron in Prémeaux-Prissey, Côte de Nuits, with Owner/ Winemaker Louis Meunier - Burgundy (and Champagne) 2016 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Restaurant La Cabotte in Nuits-Saint-George - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair in Nuits-Saint-George, from Barrel and from Bottle, with Thibault Liger-Belair - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit of Château du Clos de Vougeot - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Where the Most Expensive Red Wines Come from: Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Anne Gros in Vosne-Romanée, Côte de Nuits - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Guillon & Fils in Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits, with Jean-Michel Guillon - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
An Institution: Lunch at Restaurant Chez Guy in Gevrey-Chambertin - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Armelle et Bernhard Rion in Vosne Romanée, Côte de Nuits - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour at Fontenay Abbey (Bernard de Clairveau), Montbard - Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Wine Pairing Lunch, Cellar Visit, Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Domaine Jean Marc Brocard in Préhy, Chablis
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and other Wine Venues in Chablis, France
Champagne – An Introduction, France
French Champagne Houses and German Roots
Visit and Tasting at the Grower Champagne House Champagne Jean Josselin in Gyé sur Seine, Champagne, with Jean Pierre Josselin, his Wife and Sharona Tsubota
Cellar Visit and Tasting at the Champagner House AR Lenoble in Epernay, Champagne, with Export Manager Christian Holthausen
Cellar Visit and Tasting at the Champagner House Taittinger in Reims, Champagne
Lunch at Brasserie Flo in Reims
No comments:
Post a Comment