2007 Chablis Domaine De La Boissonneuse

Grown on steep Kimmeridgian slopes between Courgis and Prehy (adjoining the obscure, southernmost Chablis premier cru of Les Beauregards) the relatively late-bottled 2007 Chablis Domaine de la Boissonneuse carries the name “Brocard” only on its back label. This more than 25-acre Domaine owned by Julien Brocard was the first acreage on which he practiced biodynamic viticulture. White peach and pineapple, mingled with salt and chalk, and the combination of strain-through-your-teeth, acid-buffering density with vivacity here are highly convincing. A subtle oiliness of texture lends richness, and a juicy, succulent finish offers a dynamic exchange of citrus and mineral, and leaves one invigorated and practically panting for the next sip. This should prove delightfully versatile over at least the next 2-3 years. The crop was trimmed – but the quality, clearly, not diminished – by hail, and 2008 will bring a significantly larger quantity of this cuvee. Enologist Nadine Gublin (also of Domaine Jacques Prieur) is now heading the team here, although I can’t claim that any change in style was noticeable to me after only one vintage, a vintage that certainly inherently contributed to the less than forthcoming nature of many of these wines, as well as to greater irregularity in quality than those of 2006. I found myself less satisfied with this year’s grand cru bottlings as a group – after being puzzled by how several of the 2006s showed at a comparable stage, too – than I was with those of ostensibly lesser pedigree. A majority of the acreage controlled by Brocard is now being farmed biodynamically, and Julien Brocard suggests he may soon set some sort of record for surface area under such a regimen. Imported by: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400