Emmanuel Brochet

From my very first sip in 2012 I knew there was something special about the wines of Emmanuel Brochet. Working with a single vineyard, Le Mont Benoit, that sits rather oddly on the top of a hill. The A26 route to Calais cuts it short to the east and crops stem it short to the south and west. You would be mistaken in thinking that it was just another piece of arable farmland. You would be wrong. It is, in fact, a diamond in the rough.

Two hectares of vineyard gold, or diamond if you choose to continue the analogy, facing south east, worked organically with genuine care and love along with a playful inquisitive touch and attention to detail that few winemakers can replicate.

Emmanuel‚Äö√Ñ√¥s meticulous nature extends to everything he touches. From his beautifully designed labels to his yard littered with fascinating retro farm machinery, all in a perfect state of ‚Äö√Ñ√≤French chic‚Äö√Ñ√¥ decay sitting alongside his rally car and children’s bikes. Precision is at the heart of everything he does, none more so than his wine. His processes are not extraordinary making this precision all the more important. Grapes are pressed on the same day as picking then rested in tank for a day before being barrelled. He is moving towards wild yeasts but recognises their limitations. His wines undergo battonage and malolactic fermentation but no filtration. Bottling occurs one month before the next harvest. He is reducing sulphites but again realises there is a balance. His yields are low, between 6 and 8000 kg/Ha, and this concentration comes across beautifully in the glass.

Sitting enjoying a bottle of Le Mont Benoit it is easy to think that it all just comes together but you know that it is Emmanuel’s skill that has connected all the component parts together to create the magic that sits in your glass.

His wines are, quite simply, fantastic. No superb, wait, excellent. Give me some more superlatives!

Le Mont Benoit Extra Brut, usually a Meunier dominant blend is a beautifully textured wine always weighty in the palate but with an incredibly well balanced saline and mineral note. You would swear it came from the finest Grand Cru vineyards. It demands time in the glass and will age perfectly in the cellar.

His Haut Chardonnay is a touch fatter on the nose but with an incredibly dry lemon buttered note and of course that minerality and salinity that you would expect. I am seduced by the nose. I look forward to trying the 2008 which he has chosen to release after the 2009.

Back in 2012 Emmanuel mentioned he would be producing something special with Meunier. At the time I had only limited experience of Meunier wines from this area so didn’t think much of it. Then it came. Les Hauts Meunier 2008 is surely one of the most complete wines I have ever tasted. A truly intense experience, dripping with blackberries, toast, chalk and salt and with an acidity that I don’t think will ever end! This is a wonderfully exciting experience and one that I can’t wait to see evolve.

Emmanuel’s playful edge has also found him making a completely natural cuvee. Using freezing, wild yeasts, no sulphites, and his own juice and wild yeasts to create the second fermentation. He assures me it’s all for fun but I have no doubt it will be excellent!

If you haven’t had his wines, shame on you. Go on. Get out there and buy a bottle. Doesn’t matter which one. You won’t be disappointed.