2006 Chablis Les Clos

The Brocard 2006 Chablis Les Clos superbly combines alluring top notes of honeysuckle and herbal essences; bright juiciness of grapefruit; saline, savory minerality; and depth and richness of pit fruits and nut oils. The long finish here will give you some mental and mineral food. If this is not rich in umami, then that “fifth taste” must be mere myth! I found myself salivating uncontrollably after spitting it, and I look forward to swallowing some anytime over the next decade. Incidentally, Brocard’s 2005 Les Clos, while less winsome, was ultimately equally impressive. Because there was so little of it, this year’s Preuses was vinified in a new barrel whose dominance – whether or not temporary – along with the effect of finings, made it impossible to judge on the occasion of my visit. From the heavier, flatter, upper portions of its acreage – as opposed to the “Cote de Bouguerots” – the fruit-dominated Bougros seemed to have been badly stressed by its recent bottling when I tasted it. Since my visit, Quebecois cellarmaster Patrick Piuze, who arrived here in 2005 from Verget, has been replaced by Nadine Gublin of Domaine Jacques Prieure. A significant portion of the vast Brocard estate is now being farmed biodynamically. Piuze, like many vintners this year, favored racking his young wines off their lees earlier than usual with the intention of avoiding any heaviness. I did not by any means taste all of the enormous range of wines crafted at this address, and including several different labels. Brocard bottled from 2006 the first commercial quantities of three premier cru cuvees under the name “Quintessence,” each representing a broad range of sites that precludes “single vineyard” status. (I place that expression in quotes, since the names of many of the best-known premier crus by law already serve as collective or alternate names for certain nearby crus.) The blends are largely determined as juice, subject to some later fine-tuning. Imported by: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400