Article: Samuel Billaud 2024
Samuel Billaud 2024
I've been waiting since my visit on March 13 to bring you the wines from arguably one of my favorite Chablis producers, Samuel Billaud. This is an off-the-charts classic vintage from him, and I could not be more excited to offer the wines here today.
The tasting started out rather slowly, as vignerons are never sure who exactly is showing up. Samuel told me he had not prepared any of the 2024s for the tasting, as they were all resting in tank awaiting bottling. After he sized me up and realized I wasn't there on vacation, he scurried off to the cuverie and began pulling individual tank samples of the entire lineup.
What ensued was roughly two hours of a one-on-one tasting with one of Chablis's most respected vignerons. We talked about all kinds of things, mostly about the difficulties of the growing season, how some plots were more affected by hail and mildew as well as the soil composition resulting in some of the flavors we see in the wines. It was by far my best visit, and one I always look forward to, as Samuel is so generous with his time, especially once he becomes engaged in all things Chablis.
The takeaway was that although yields were not where he would have liked, the resulting wines offer a purity and crystalline character of that he is extremely proud of. There was no hesitation when I asked which vintage this most reminds him of: 2014 was his answer. I'd have to agree, with the caveat that the density of 2024 is a bit less pronounced than 2014 at this early stage. The wines across the range display amazing freshness and energy. These are old-school Chablis, very much in a classic sense, a vintage I think anyone with a history of the region can greatly appreciate. I know I sure can!
The Grand Terroirs, which is the entry-point wine (at least for me), offers incredible depth and richness for its level. This is a wine that rivals most producers' 1er Cru. Sourced from three plots, two on the right bank that sit above Les Clos. Aged 100% stainless steel, 18 months on lees. This is arguably the best Chablis Village you can buy.
The 1er Vaillons Vieilles Vignes comes from some of the oldest vines of the estate. The vineyard suffered a devastating May12 hailstorm, which drastically reduced yields. In a normal harvest, yields are around 45hl/ha; in 2024 those were reduced to 15hl/ha, a third of normal production. Aged 18 months in 100% stainless, the wine displays an uncanny freshness, wrapped around a core of mineral-driven chalkiness on a somewhat salty finish. First rate!
The Mont de Milieu realized a more normal yield at 30hl/ha, as it was not affected by the hailstorm. This comes from three different plots with varying soil composition. The bottom portion is 85-year-old vines with mostly clay soils, which give the wine its mid-palate and richness. The middle section is hard limestone (35 years), which adds an element of minerality. The top portion is 70 years old and again made of poor limestone soil, which is the backbone of everything we love about Chablis. Aged 18 months total: 80% stainless, 20% barrel for one year, then blended and spends another six months in stainless prior to bottling. Another classic, precise, mineral-driven offering, hard not to like.
The Montée de Tonnerre comes from two plots: a 65-year-old plot in MDT proper on classic Kimmeridgian limestone, and the plot in Champlots (54 years), which has that same Kimmeridgian limestone mixed with a bit more clay. I might add that this plot sits adjacent to Raveneau's plot in the same vineyard. Same aging as the Mont de Milieu, resulting in one of the most compelling Montée de Tonnerres I have ever tasted chez Billaud. This wine rivals the very best Chablis has to offer, and when you consider the price compared to some of the village's most sought-after estates, this is an easy choice!
The wines should arrive over the summer and be ready to ship when the weather cools in the fall. Buy these with confidence, you can thank me later.
Made from the usual three locations. 25 hl/ha on average. A little bready yeast note on the nose along with its more classical components. Wonderful tension behind. The “they don’t make Chablis like they used to” grumblers should be satisfied. Crisp citrus notes infuse the finish. Drink from 2027-2030. Tasted Jun 2025.
- Jasper Morris, 90-92 | 5 Stars
Airy and cool aromas include those of white pepper, floral, oyster shell and a whiff of tidal pool character. The super-sleek and borderline painfully intense medium weight flavors possess impressively length on the very dry and cuts-like-a-knife finale. Lovely.
- Burghound, 90-93
As is often the case, there is a vague suggestion of the exotic on the super-fresh and bright nose of citrus confit, quinine, petrol and shellfish. Much like the Fourneaux, the medium-bodied flavors are dense, powerful and serious with superb length on the balanced finish that is borderline tannic. This too could use more depth, but it is undeniably promising and should age accordingly.
- Burghound, 91-94 Sweet Spot Outstanding!
A more elegant and more floral-infused nose speaks of mineral reduction, iodine, quinine and an array of citrus nuances. Once again, the mouthfeel of the middle weight flavors is super-sleek with excellent delineation that carries over to the almost painfully intense, chiseled, stony and strikingly long finish. This is pretty much textbook MdT so if you can find it, buy it.
- Burghound, 92-95
