2006 Jean-Marc Brocard - Chablis Montee de Tonnerre 1er Cru

The Brocard 2006 Chablis Montee de Tonerre combines the sort of formidable concentration exhibited by its Mont de Mileu sibling, with a flattering glossiness of texture and richness of fruit that wine lacked, plus a vivacity of citrus and an elegant demeanor absent from many of this year’s Right Bank Chablis. Grapefruit, lime, banana, kiwi, and nut oils inform this wine’s rich palate, but there is real lift as well as mineral subtlety in its long finish. Piuze thinks it will especially benefit from several years of bottle age, and I would not hesitate to hold it for 6-8. Since my visit, Quebecois cellarmaster Patrick Piuze, who arrived here in 2005 from Verget, has been replaced by Nadine Gublin of Domaine Jacques Prieure.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