2019 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru

Samuel Billaud is achieving ever-greater heights. It has been a joy to see him settle down, having first met him following the rather acrimonious division of Domaine Billaud-Simon after his family sold their shares to Faiveley. In fact, both are now making great Chablis, so consumers have probably gained from the fracas. Billaud has more or less finished work on his winery in central Chablis, just down the road from the William Fèvre tasting room, where I tasted a mixture of 2019 and 2020s. “We started picking the 2020s on August 28 and continued for around 10 to 12 days,” he explained. “You have the power of the vintage with the mineralité. It has a lot of potential. I think it will be higher in quality than 2019 because of the balance. We picked a little earlier in 2020, and I believe it is classic Chablis like 2012, 2014 and 2017.” Billaud always exudes confidence in his wines, and he has the quality to back that up. His judicious use of larger used wooden barrels for aging in various proportions with traditional stainless steel yields Chablis with plenty of terroir expression, density and tension. Highlights include a riveting 2020 Chablis Les Séchets courtesy of 80-year-old vines, and a stunning Montée de Tonnerre. Generally, I do find the 2020s potentially a little more consistent compared to the 2019s, although Billaud’s Grand Crus in this vintage are unmissable, particularly his Les Preuses and Vaudésir.