Part of an esteemed Chablis family, Samuel Billaud struck out on his own in 2009 to found his eponymous Domaine. He had previously been the winemaker at Domaine Billaud-Simon. The winery lies in the heart of Chablis. It is set up so that Billaud only needs to pump his wines once, then gravity does the rest. The rest of the facilities consist of brand-new stainless-steel tanks and underground storage for barrels. Due to his deep roots in Chablis, Samuel is able to purchase grapes from some of the finest, most well-established growers.
In the cellar, the premier and grand cru wines see about 15% new wood in the form of large 450 and 600 L barrels, which offsets any overt “oakiness.” The rest is fermented in small stainless steel tank. This process results in layered wines rife with crunchy oyster shell and silex, and exhibit a range of flavor profiles from licorice to white peach to toasty baguette. This is top quality Chablis from a rising star producer – for white Burgundy lovers, these are not to be missed.
