Domaine Julien Brocard
The seven vineyards - Chablis "naturally"
Julien Brocard's domaine is located in Préhy, just a few kilometres from the town of Chablis in northern Burgundy. The aim of the domaine is to bring out the true character of the wines without any distortion, and for this purpose the vines have been cultivated biodynamically since 2011.
In 1973 Jean-Marc Brocard planted his first vines in the Chablis winegrowing region. In 1995 Julien Brocard followed in his father's footsteps and took on his first responsibilities in the family business. Together they created ecological niches by planting new fruit trees typical of the region, such as hazelnut, pear and vineyard peach. These promote biodiversity and the balance between animals and plants. In 1997 Julien Brocard discovered the vineyard of La Boissonneuse, where he ventured on his first biodynamic experiments. This vineyard received biodynamic certification as early as 2002. All the other vineyards and plots were also gradually converted to biodynamics.
White wines from Domaine Julien Brocard
from Domaine Julien Brocard
Biodynamic agriculture requires constant monitoring and care by humans and the use of traditional methods and tools, such as the horse-drawn plough, in order to create a natural connection between humans, the soil and plants. The soil of limestone and clay with fossil oyster shells, also known as Kimmeridgian, and the region's temperate continental climate with warm summers, long winters and the threat of frost are factors to consider. A compressed air press is used to extract the juice from the hand-picked Chardonnay grapes, which is then fermented in one of 22 large oak barrels with a capacity of 15 to 100 hectolitres. This allows for slow oxygenation and preserves the unique flavour of each vineyard plot.
Julien Brocard now creates seven wines from the seven different vineyards which make up his domaine. The bottles are sealed with wax, stamped by hand, wrapped in tissue paper and packed in a box that holds seven bottles and was specially designed for this range. The wines all captivate with their individual character, starting with La Boissonneuse, with its ripe fruity notes, creamy structure and clearly defined minerality, and ending with the Grand Cru Les Preuses, powerful and rich with pronounced minerality and exceptional ageing potential. All these wines have one thing in common: they are very well defined and come to life on the palate. Santé!
Producer
Weingut Erwin Tinhof
For 11 generations now, the Tinhof family has been growing wine in Eisenstadt on the Leitha Range in Burgenland. This constellation is the source of their knowledge and experience as to which grape varieties flourish particularly well in this location, allowing the production of wines characteristic for the area. Neuburger, Pinot Blanc and Blaufränkisch, Sankt Laurent, some on vines established 55 years ago – are the focus of their expertise.
Bodegas y Viñedos Artazu
Bodegas y Viñedos Artadi is a Spanish winery group whose vineyards are in Alicante (Valencia), in the northeastern region of Navarre and in Álava and Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country. In 1985, a group of winegrowers founded this private cooperative project, which, with one tiny exception, only produces single-grape-variety wines.
Didier Joris
Didier Joris is a legendary figure in the Valais, where the history of wine would be unthinkable without him. He grew up in a farming family that initially concentrated on raising cattle. To this very day, Didier still raves about «his Queens», the Hérens fighting cows. It was only during the 1960s and 1970s that the Joris family began to terrace slopes to plant vines and cultivate vineyards.