SAMUEL BILLAUD 2023 CHABLIS LES FOURNEAUX 1ER CRU

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "Sourced from west- and south-facing plots, Samuel Billaud’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Fourneaux is a success. It wafts from the glass with a bouquet of lemon zest, oyster shell and white flowers. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, bright and tensile yet concentrated, with good depth, racy acidity and a pure, saline finish. It’s produced from purchased fruit. Samuel Billaud established his own state-of-the-art winery in the center of Chablis in 2009, and he has emerged as one of the village’s top four or five producers, crafting wines characterized by textural seamlessness and precision. Working with four hectares of organically farmed estate vineyards, supplemented by purchased grapes (for which Billaud decides the harvest date, and his team usually picks the fruit), harvesting of ripe yet vibrant fruit is the rule here. This is followed by fermentation at 16 to 20 degrees Celsius in stainless steel tank and/or used wood (mostly 500-liter barrels from Tonnellerie Chassin), then maturation for 13 months on the lees for Petit Chablis and Chablis Village and 15 to 18 months for the premier cru and grand cru bottlings. His wines are bright, nervy expressions of Chablis with plenty of concentration and length. Producing classy wines of crystalline purity, this address already belongs on any list of Chablis's best."