Samuel Billaud, Chablis
Since first tasting Samuel Billaud’s range many years ago his wines have become the benchmark by which I judge Chablis. Having left the family domaine, Billaud-Simon, to establish his own cellar in 2009, he has quietly built a reputation as one of the finest producers in the region. His approach is meticulous. Yields are kept low, extraction is gentle, oak is used sparingly, and every decision is made with the aim of preserving purity rather than imposing winemaking. The result is Chablis of remarkable precision, concentration and mineral definition.
What impresses me most, however, is not simply the quality of the Grand Crus, but the consistency across the entire range. Every wine has a clear identity, faithfully reflecting its vineyard while retaining the freshness and tension that make great Chablis so compelling.
His Petit Chablis perfectly illustrates the point. In a quirk of Chablis geography, the vineyards sit immediately above the Grand Cru of Les Clos. Whilst the soils are Portlandian limestone rather than the celebrated Kimmeridgian found lower down the slope, the site is far removed from what many would imagine a typical Petit Chablis vineyard to be. The wine has all the brightness and saline character one expects, yet offers a depth and concentration that elevates it well beyond the category. It is one of the finest value wines in Chablis and, year after year, one of the bottles I recommend most readily.
At the other end of the scale, Samuel Billaud's Premier and Grand Crus are certainly not inexpensive, but neither are they overpriced. Compared with many of Chablis's most sought after names, such as Raveneau and Dauvissat, they continue to represent outstanding value for the quality in the bottle. They are wines of exceptional clarity and precision, each expressing its vineyard with remarkable fidelity. For my palate, Montée de Tonnerre and Les Clos remain the standouts, though there is scarcely a weak link anywhere in the range.
