The Brocards’ 2007 Chablis Vieilles Vignes Domaine Sainte Claire (from the adjacent Malantes and Les Pargues vineyards, just north of the winery) combines the juicy citrus character of the corresponding “regular” bottling with enhanced citrus zest, herb and chicken broth, along with adamant shell-lime and stone as well as bitter fruit pit character. Its relative austerity is accompanied by an impressive sense of density, and it may well need more time in the bottle to show its true mettle. Still, this admirably concentrated, generic Chablis is likely to hold some interest for at least the next 2-3 years. 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