The 2009 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre is another of the shyer, more introspective wines in this lineup. This is all lemon peel, smoke, oyster shells and wet stones. It is a beautifully taut, reserved wine for the year, with striking purity and fabulous overall balance. There is a crystalline purity to the finish that is quite attractive. The Montee de Tonnerre saw only steel. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. I tasted a wide range of wines at Domaine Brocard with oenologist Nadine Gublin, including the wines of Brocard's other Chablis properties, which are reviewed separately. In 2009, the harvest began in mid-September. The wines were vinified with ambient yeasts in steel and/or oak, depending on the vineyard, and aged on their lees until the malos were finished. The Cote de Lechet, Fourchaume, Bougros, Valmur and Les Clos were fermented and aged in 100-hectoliter conical oak vats. Brocard bottled the 2009s in late 2010 and early 2011. The Brocard wines are generally quite rich and lush in texture relative to most of the other wines in the region. One of the other important characteristics of this lineup is that the most complete, successful bottlings don-t always come from the most prestigious sites. I also noted that the house and vintage style marked the 2009s to a greater degree than at many other addresses, while the 2010s show more site specificity. A number of the 2010s were still undergoing malolactic fermentation, so I was only able to taste a selection of the wines from that year. The estate's vineyards are currently being converted to biodynamic farming. It will be interesting to see where the wines go from here.Importer: Martine's Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400

Not yet bottled when I last tasted it in April, Brocard’s 2008 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre leads with apple and diverse citrus aromas that anticipate its tart, bright palate impression. The cut and energy on display as well as the chalky mineral sense and firm feel conduce to a certain severity, but there is such a sense of vivacity and energy as well as an invigorating impingement of fruit skins and pungent spices in the finish as to win one over and leave one looking forward to this wine’s evolution over the next half dozen or more years. Enologist Nadine Gublin (also of Domaine Jacques Prieur) headed-up the Brocards’ 2008 efforts from start to finish, including a harvest that extended well into October, while Julien Brocard continues to up the percentage of acreage farmed biodynamically at this enormous property. (Tiny lady bugs and moons are scattered discreetly across the labels of those Brocard wines that issue from “bio” vineyards.) Due to time limitations, I did not taste the entire 2008 collection here, but every wine I tasted could be recommended and is included in this report.Imported by: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400

Lemon zest, white peach, toasted hazelnut, cilantro, and a gunflint-like pungency in the nose of Brocard’s 2007 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre lead to a somewhat sweet-sour palate impression that might reflect the degree to which this site was damaged by hail. I imagine a hypothetical blend of just-ripe Sauvignon and Meursault. A smoky bite akin to Szechuan pepper combines with citrus oil for a palate-staining, but both austere and aggressive finish that lacks primary juiciness or polish. I wouldn’t bet on holding this for long, let alone speculate on its knitting or smoothing out, and it certainly represents a disappointment relative to recent vintages, That said, it exhibits a striking, if hail-affected, personality and could prove fascinating short-term if paired with ingenuity. 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

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