JEAN-MARC BROCARD

Jean-Marc Brocard's origins lie in the Côte d'Or, a farmer's son from the village of Chaudenay-le-Château, not even the son of the vigneron. Following his father’s advice Jean-Marc studied Engineering leaving behind agricultural life. It was an accident of marriage that brought him to wine when he married Claudine (his childhood sweetheart), a vigneron's daughter from the village of St-Bris-le-Vineux in the valley of Yonne. Starting with single a hectare of vines from his father-in-law in 1972, Jean Marc created an estate that today makes wine from nearly 200 hectares of vines in and around Chablis. Jean-Marc acknowledges a considerable debt to one of the old vignerons of St-Cyr les Colons, Louis Petit, who constantly preached “look, be quite and learn”. Practicing patience with a perpetual desire for improvement Jean Marc forged and estate that delicately balances tradition with modernity. Today, Julien Brocard, Jean-Marc’s son, manages the estate. Also, an Engineering graduate, Julien is a passionate advocate of organic and biodynamic viticulture. Today, over half of the Domaine’s vines are farmed using either organic or biodynamic viticulture. Over the years the Domaine has acted as an important finishing school for several significant figures in Chablis. Olivier de Moor, Clotilde Davenne, and Patrick Piuze all spent time at Brocard before going on to establish their own wineries. Winemaking at Brocard has always been carefully considered. The goal to showcase the region’s unique terroir. As such a visit to the estate will reveal every possible manner of fermentation vessel – stainless steel tanks, Stockinger Foudre, concrete eggs - with the idea that different vessels can be used to highlight a specific site’s unique characteristics. However, as Jean-Marc states "The truth of wine lies in the soil where it has grown. Technique is an important factor in the wine growing, but it is only an aid, the wine is essentially the product of its soil."

Reviews for this winery

Brocard is a major producer in Chablis with an array of holdings in good volumes. This goes hand-in-hand with consistency across their range, despite the hail. The 2015s are full of well-crafted wines.

Neal Martin, August 2017

The village of Préhy, Jean-Marc Brocard has steadily built up one of the top domaines in the region, on the foundation of a quality-focused approach from the bottom to the top. And his son Julien is now taking things further, with the adoption of biodynamic viticulture.

Jamie Goode, January 2020