Samuel Billaud
Offer
Year in and year out these wines are consistently spectacular! I carry Samuel Billaud with every release we send emails singing the domaine’s praises and with few exceptions the wines sell out in a blink. I worry I’m a bore repeating myself, so in an effort to not be repetitive, you’ll find a short story below for those few that might not be familiar.
Anyone looking for world class Chablis need look no further than the Samuel Billaud 1er Crus, his village Chablis is not too shabby either. In fact, I don’t know of a finer village wine than the Les Grands Terroirs, which out-classes many premier cru!
The long and short of it is, Samuel is a tremendous winemaker, with a number of very old, special vineyards, making flat out pure examples of Chablis that stand toe to toe with some of the best wines in the village.
2022 Samuel Billaud Chablis Les Grands Terroirs
Cool, pretty and airy aromas include those of green apple, iodine, mineral reduction and a subtle floral wisp. There is again excellent punch, volume and richness to the caressing yet unusually powerful medium-bodied flavors that exude a discreet minerality on the clean, sneaky long and dry finish where the only nit is a hint of warmth. This could also be approached young yet should have no trouble repaying mid-term cellaring.Â
-Â Burghound, 89-92 Outstanding Top Value!
Vins Rare Note: I don’t know of a finer village wine than the Les Grands Terroirs. This wine out-classes a lot of premier cru!
2022 Samuel Billaud Chablis 1er Vaillons Vieilles Vignes
There is equally prominent floral influence to the aromas of white pepper, citrus confit and a broad array of classic Chablis elements. The old vines are very much in evidence on the palate as there is a lovely texture and density to the almost delicate yet quite punchy flavors that also exude a bracing minerality on the bitter-lemon-suffused finish. One to look for as this is excellent plus it should age gracefully.Â
- Burghound, 91-94 Outstanding!
2022 Samuel Billaud Chablis 1er Sechets Vieilles Vignes
The cool and reticent nose reluctantly but clearly confirms that this could be from nowhere else but Chablis, particularly with the prominent quinine influence that carries over to the dense, palate soaking and powerful yet refined flavors that deliver stunningly good length. This is terrific and it's not often that Séchet can best a fine Montée de Tonnerre but in 2022, it appears to have done so. Note that at least moderate patience will be necessary. In sum, if you can find it, buy it.
- Burghound, 92-94 Sweet Spot
2022 Samuel Billaud Chablis 1er Montee de Tonnerre
An elegant, pure and beautifully airy nose presents ripe but wonderfully fresh aromas of mineral reduction, acacia blossom and oyster shell. The racy and borderline painfully intense middleweight flavors also exude a bracing minerality that adds a sense of lift to the detailed, focused and lingering finale. Other than a trace of backend warmth, this is a classic MdT.
- Burghound, 91-94 Sweet Spot
STORY
Samuel Billaud formed his own merchant / winemaking house in June of 2010. His extensive relationships and network of trust allowed him to source grapes from many of Chablis finest terroirs. In 2014 when the family domaine was sold to Faiveley, he took his 4 hectares of vines to add to what he was already doing with purchased fruit and moved into a state of the art facility, now the permanent home for Maison Samuel Billaud.
The heart and sole of the domaine really is those 4 hectares he took with him, incidentally acquired through inheritance and arguably some of the best vineyards in Chablis; Montee de Tonnerre, Sechet, Vaillons, Vaudesir and Les Clos. Raveneau’s Montee de Tonnerre are all right next to Samuel in Chapelots. The real sleeper in the lineup is the beautiful vineyard of Sechet. This was a vineyard that Samuel’s father had planted in the 50’s and when it came time to negotiate the deal with Faiveley, Samuel knew of its quality and decided to trade away his holding in the grand gru of Blanchot in order to keep all of the Sechet. It’s a real insider’s wine and worth your attention.
Samuel Billaud adapts his winemaking according to the plots. He thus favors fermentation in 450 liter barrels for certain premiers crus and grands crus in order to bring complexity to the wines and to obtain an optimal exchange on the oxidation-reduction phenomena between the container, the lees, the wine and oxygen. The style here is one that lets the terroir speak. These are citrus leaning, chalky, mineral driven wines with exceptional freshness and energy. There is no mistaking these for anything but Chablis!Â
