2022 Billaud Simon - Now In Stock
Note: It saddens us to report that 2024 is a complete disaster. Between the spring frost and the summer hail, some producers made no wine. If you’re a fan of the wines, stock up on the 2022’s and 2023’s as they come available.
If you have been buying Chablis for any length of time, obviously you have encountered the wines from Billaud Simon. For me personally, they are a reference point producer making terroir driven Chablis. I’ve followed them for as long as I can remember, drank countless bottles over the years, and can say that with a little cellar time, what develops in the bottle is absolute magic – if you can keep your hands off.
A 2010 Montee de Tonnerre opened over this summer is a wine I can still vividly remember. Liquid minerals that showed the perfect balance between richness and freshness - it was everything you could ever want Chablis to be. When you look at what the price is for Raveneau and Dauvissat these days, the smart money buys a 6pk of Billaud Simon instead!
STORY
Seemingly under the cover of darkness, in 2014, famed Burgundy producer Domaine Faively negotiated a deal to acquire the Billaud Simon and its vineyards for an undisclosed sum. It instantly gave Faiveley a dominating presence in Chablis as one of the larger landholders with an enviable array of vineyards.
The Billaud Simon family arrived in Chablis in 1815. Nine generations tended the Kimmeridgian soils and built one of the most respected domaines in the region. In that time, they had amassed 17 hectares (42 acres) of arguably some of the best plots in all of Chablis, Les Clos, Preuses and Montee de Tonnerre to name a few.
Since Faiveley took over, Oliver Bailly has been in charge of the winemaking. Much of the philosophy has remained the same. Terroir driven wines, focusing on freshness and energy showcasing purity and what the unique Chablis terroir offers.
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!
Here the wood is subtle though easily perceptible on the mildly exotic aromas of white and yellow peach, orange peel and moderate Chablis elements. On the palate the larger-bodied and more concentrated flavors are also generously proportioned while concluding in a balanced, dry and powerful finish. This could use more depth so a few years of keeping should again prove beneficial.
- Burghound, 91 Outstanding!
