Article: 2022 Billaud Simon Chablis
2022 Billaud Simon Chablis
We’ve been scouring the market for the remaining Chablis from the last couple of vintages and have come up with some incredible finds. Today’s offer is not too shabby as Billaud-Simon is one of Chablis’ most recognized producers, and their Montée de Tonnerre is a Vins Rare favorite.
The Billaud-Simon family arrived in Chablis in 1815, and for nine generations they have tended these Kimmeridgian soils, building one of the most respected domaines in the region. Over that time, they amassed 17 hectares (42 acres) of arguably some of the best plots in all of Chablis—Les Clos, Preuses, and Montée de Tonnerre, to name a few.
In 2014, in what may have seemed like the cover of darkness, famed Burgundy producer Domaine Faiveley negotiated a deal to acquire the domain and its vineyards for an undisclosed sum. What might have seemed like a huge number at the time instantly gave Faiveley a dominant presence in Chablis, making them one of the larger landholders with an enviable array of vineyards.
Olivier Bailly has been in charge of winemaking since the Faiveley takeover in 2014, and much of the philosophy has remained the same: terroir-driven wines focused on freshness and energy, showcasing the purity and character of Chablis’ unique terroir.
I’ve followed this domain for as long as I can remember and have enjoyed countless bottles over the years. One thing I can say with certainty: if you can resist opening them for several years, what develops in the bottle is nothing short of magical. A 2010 Montée de Tonnerre opened this past summer was hauntingly precise and fresh, liquid minerals with palate staining intensity and that lip smacking finish that just does not quit! It is everything you could ever want Chablis to be. Considering the current prices of Raveneau and Dauvissat, I think the smart money buys six-pack of Billaud-Simon instead!
With 2024 shaping up to be a complete disaster, I’m trying to buy up any of the good wines still available. Year in and year out, this is consistently one of Chablis’ finest Premier Crus.
With many of these back fill Chablis offers, quantities are limited.
Moderate though also easily detectable wood is present on the nose of iodine, white flowers and a hint of oyster shell. The markedly finer middleweight flavors exude evident minerality that adds a sense of lift to the balanced, nicely dry and impressively long finish that displays the natural class of a fine MdT. As with many of these 2022s, it could use more depth but the style is lovely and understated.
- Burghound, 91 Outstanding!
An even lemon yellow. The concentrated warmth of Montée de Tonnerre is showing here in a very attractive way, a little more compelling than Mont de Milieu. Less flamboyant up front then the 2023 but if anything offering greater intensity behind with really well harnessed marine minerals. Beautiful persistence. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted Jul 2024.
- Jasper Morris, 94 | 5 Stars
