Brocard Cote de Lechet 2007
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Parker
Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Brocard 2007 Chablis Cote de Lechet is a bit awkwardly green in a primarily herb and citrus zest nose as well as in its lean expression of acids and chalk. That said, this is impressively concentrated wine that cannot be faulted on extract or sheer length, its leanness ameliorated by textural richness. A satisfying chew of tart fruit skin and brashly-bright; scallop-like, savory salinity; and juicy citrus are its last words. It will definitely be worth re-visiting in 2010.
As a perfectionist, Jean-Marc Brocard naturally erected his purpose-built cellars in the centre of his vineyard to give the grapes his constant attention. Such dedication together with the best quality Chablis soil produce an exceptional wine with a typical mineral style. It is elegant and full of character. Jean-Marc Brocard’s boundless dedication to wine has borne fruit: the Brocard estate now comprises 80 hectares of vines, 65 of which are adjacent to the cellars.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
The source of the most racy, light and tactile, yet uniquely complex Chardonnay, Chablis, while considered part of Burgundy, actually reaches far past the most northern stretch of the Côte d’Or proper. Its vineyards cover hillsides surrounding the small village of Chablis about 100 miles north of Dijon, making it actually closer to Champagne than to Burgundy. Champagne and Chablis have a unique soil type in common called Kimmeridgian, which isn’t found anywhere else in the world except southern England. A 180 million year-old geologic formation of decomposed clay and limestone, containing tiny fossilized oyster shells, spans from the Dorset village of Kimmeridge in southern England all the way down through Champagne, and to the soils of Chablis. This soil type produces wines full of structure, austerity, minerality, salinity and finesse.
Chablis Grands Crus vineyards are all located at ideal elevations and exposition on the acclaimed Kimmeridgian soil, an ancient clay-limestone soil that lends intensity and finesse to its wines. The vineyards outside of Grands Crus are Premiers Crus, and outlying from those is Petit Chablis. Chablis Grand Cru, as well as most Premier Cru Chablis, can age for many years.