From the atlas
Jean-Marc Brocard
Family owned Chablis domaine in Préhy, led by Julien Brocard, with organic and biodynamic farming and a Premier Cru Fourchaume aged in old oak and steel.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Base | Préhy, Chablis |
| Appellation | Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume |
| Farming | Organic and biodynamic methods |
| Signature wine | Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume |
| Cellar | Old oak, stainless steel and foudres |
The Producer
Jean-Marc Brocard was born into a farming family in the Côte d'Or, left agriculture to become an engineer, and founded the vineyard in the 1970s. The family estate is based in Préhy, in Chablis. Julien Brocard, Jean-Marc's son, leads the estate and is a pioneer of biodynamics in Chablis.
Julien joined the family vineyard in 1995 after completing engineering studies. The domaine's named Fourchaume bottle carries the Chablis Premier Cru designation, with ageing that combines large old oak and stainless steel.
Place
Préhy is the home base, while Chablis is the appellation carried by the signature wine. Fourchaume adds the Premier Cru designation, a recognized vineyard level within the Chablis hierarchy. The label therefore names both the wider Chablis appellation and a specific Premier Cru site.
Soil And Site
Fourchaume grows on Kimmeridgian soil, a calcareous clay layer about 40 to 50 centimetres deep with a large share of fossilized shellfish. Calcareous clay can drain excess water while retaining moisture around the vines. In the wine, that ground appears beside the fruit as a mineral note.
Story
In 1995, Julien Brocard joined the family vineyard after completing engineering studies and began working alongside his father. In 1997, he developed a deep interest in biodynamics and its ancestral methods. That interest moved into the vineyard when an 11 hectare parcel was cultivated with both organic and biodynamic methods.
The pilot placed biodynamic farming inside the estate's daily vineyard work. Julien's role connected engineering training, family farming and a defined change in how one parcel was cultivated.
Vineyards And Cellar
Grape transfers from reception through must settling move by gravity, without mechanical pumping or human intervention. Base Chablis spends its élevage in stainless steel with all lees retained, one racking at the end of fermentation and no bâtonnage. Lees are the fine yeast solids left after fermentation; keeping them can add palate weight and savoury flavour, while no bâtonnage means they are not stirred.
Premium cuvées use concrete eggs and traditional foudres. Fourchaume uses mixed ageing, with two thirds in large old oak barrels for approximately 14 to 15 months and one third in stainless steel tanks.
Wines
The range moves from base Chablis wines to premium cuvées. Base Chablis uses stainless steel élevage, while the higher cuvées use concrete eggs and traditional foudres. Fourchaume sits in the Premier Cru category as a named white wine from Chablis, with the bottle's label joining the appellation, site name and vineyard level.
In The Glass
Across the range, stainless steel gives the base wines a clean vessel profile, while lees ageing can add palate weight and savoury flavour. The 2024 Fourchaume is pale yellow with silvery highlights. It combines yellow apple, mineral, grilled lemon, honeydew, butter and herbs in a nuanced, fruity style.
A Bottle To Understand It
Open Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume first. It names one Premier Cru site and carries the estate's mixed vessel ageing in a single bottle, with large old oak and stainless steel working together. Fourchaume reaches its peak in 4 years and can be cellared for 3 to 6 years. The label, site level and cellar choice all sit on one bottle.
Anecdote
During a winery visit, a reviewer tasted the 2017 Fourchaume after foudre ageing. The wine showed powerful peach and spice over a citrus base, with hints of marmalade and orange peel. Fourchaume is aged partly in large old oak and partly in stainless steel, while premium cuvées use traditional foudres. The tasting placed the 2017 vintage beside the Fourchaume Premier Cru name and the large wooden vessel used for part of its élevage. Its fruit moved from citrus toward peach, spice, marmalade and orange peel.
Final Word
Jean-Marc Brocard's family domaine in Préhy farms through organic and biodynamic methods and makes Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume with old oak and stainless steel.
Sources
- https://brocard.fr/en/
- https://brocard.fr/en/our-commitments/
- https://www.burgundy-report.com/burgundy-report-extra/01-2022/jean-marc-brocard-2020/
- https://brocard.fr/en/the-family/
- https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/vin/9613901/
- https://brocard.fr/en/vin/jean-marc-brocard/fourchaume/
- https://wineanorak.com/2020/01/07/in-chablis-visiting-jean-marc-brocard-one-of-the-top-producers/