Tasted in Chablis with Olivier Bailly, 17 March 2023.
Domaine Billaud-Simon
1 quai de Reugny
89800 Chablis
Tel: +33 3 86 42 10 33
www.billaud-simon.com
More reports with Domaine Billaud-Simon
Olivier on the frost of 2022:
“Yes it looks like a good vintage – we have a nice volume despite the frost that started the season. After that the season was almost perfect – my first vintage of conversion to organic – and it was easy! Not too high alcohols and nicely clean grapes.”
Olivier on 2021:
“A little different, almost traumatizing with the damage done by the frost and quite a rare climate in recent years with all the rain in the middle of the year. What saved the vintage was the weather in September – we started harvesting late – 18-Spetember in Fourchaume and Vaulorent – we waited during a little rain and restarted the 22nd. In the end only 7 days of harvesting – we normally take 10 but there were fewer grapes and we pushed to finish too. 30 hl/ha – but with big geographical differences – 18 hl/ha in Petit Chablis, forinstance. The triage was very important but after the traumas of the growing season we are really happy with the wines that we have. Of the grand crus only Vaudesir and Preuses had normal volumes – they were the only ones with candles during the frost! The highest degrees were just over 12° for Fourchaume and Vaulorent – harvested before the rain – then we waited a while but still harvested the GCs at closer to 11.5° We had the right to chaptaise 2° in this vintage but chose to make only 1° – so they are labelled 12.5%”
The wines…
What a seriously great range of 2021s – covetable wines!
The Petit Chablis and Chablis were bottled in August before the harvest, and most of the rest were bottled in January. Of course, all are sold or reserved – fortunately, we have a bit more volume in 22. Entry wines are DIAM – that’s the first three. Then it’s NdTech for the Montée de Tonnerre and the grand crus:
Two parcels from the flat land on the top of the hill above the grand crus of Les Clos and Valmur – totalling 1.33 hectares – that, historically, don’t frost but this winter frost was different!
Bright, energetic – inviting in the style of the best 21s. Mouth-filling and energetic – so juicy – super citrus – that’s a beauty – as good a PC as you could wish and far, far too drinkable – bravo!
An assembly of many parcels (left and right bank vines) including some purchased must to augment the domaine’s right-bank vines – but a little over 4 hectares worth. Mainly tank elevage with just a few barrels. 12 months elevage – Tete d’Or has longer elevage with more barrel elevage.
Classic oyster-shell, iodine, aromatics – super. A hint more impact and density – less dynamic but silkier and more intense – not quite brooding but gorgeously flavoured. This you could enjoy over the next 20 years (DIAM) – I would. Bravo!.
Parcel selections – ‘a skeleton of parcels that are always used and always better and the rest are selected from some other areas depending on the vintage to make the best cuvée’ – a little wood including some new large-format barrels – 500 and 600-litres.
The nose remains something of the sea, not of the barrel forest – becoming more and more perfumed too. Broader, perhaps more visible muscle, super texture again and growing in intensity, almost a fant finishing phenolic too. Bravo!
Two parcels in Chatains, 2 in Sechets and one each in Minot and Roncières – 3 hectares.
Another super nose that’s really of the seashore – so inviting with the extra twist of citrus. More incisive, cool, and direct a wine of minerality and gorgeous width of ever-changing flavour – immediately bravo – what a wine!
Normally 0.25 ha. The last part of Vaupulent.
Wide – more wide – freshness and minerality here – a fine invitation. More intense and, like the nose, wider – there’s silk but there is also intensity – a wine for waiting. I’d give this at least 2 years of patience. It seems to have everything. I’d say excellent – and if it starts to calm – normally they do – it will be great!
2021 Chablis 1er Vaulorent
From Fourchaume, bought grapes in Vaupulent – the only difference for the label/capsules is the missing ‘Domaine’…
A more up and down aromatic of energy – the first parcel harvested in 2021. Incisive again – Oh I’m loving a lot of 21 Fourchaumes because they show to a much lesser extrent the more golden fruit of other vintages – this is wide, just a little more cushioned so hiding the minerality a bit more than the Vaillons – but the citrus is explosive and exciting – super wine again – what wouldn’t I buy here is the more pertinent question!
2021 Chablis 1er Vaupulent
A contract – the proprietor does the work through the year but the team here harvest the vines. Mainly tank elevage.
There’s a nice vibration of minerality in this nose, faintly smoky too. A wine that opens out over the palate – mineral-accented by the citrus – rather than the mainly citrus of the last. Super in the finish – this is simply excellent wine – calmly but deliciously finishing in an ever-narrowing finish
Four parcels, 0.35 ha at the top pulled out after the 2015 harvest as there was virus and too low yields. 2.74 ha in total.
An extra width of more fruit-laden aromas – but fine fruit – never heavy – perfumed wine. Hmm – an almost chalky and intense width of flavour – my word this is good. Bravo – many Mont de Milieu interest me but I’d be reluctant to buy them – not here!
2.15 ha in three parcels. Some of the oldest vines of the domaine are here with 80-85 years of age. An important part to the domaine – the average age of vines here is at least 40 years of age. Almost all tank elevage for this wine.
Another beautifully vibrant aromatic – such an invitation of complexity but all supported by the vibrant minerality. The most mineral and direct, accented with the juice of several (types of) lemons. Broad, structural, great wine. It will outlive me – bravo!
The tiniest parcel of grand cru here, just 0.18 ha – also right at the top near their parcel of Les Clos. Two barrels but stainless-steel barrels.
Again a broad sweep of oyster-shell complexity – yes! Hmm, a wine of scale that melts over the palate becoming calmer but still of clarity and complexity. Extra in the finish, really extra in the finish – great!
2021 Chablis Vaudesir
Three parcels here that come to 0.49 ha – two in the colder part – that brings freshness in warm years. Both fermentations in tank and for the last few months moved to old 600-litre barrels to ‘open the wine a bit more’
Fine, pure, more direct, more of the fruit is visible here with a slightly golden style to this fruit. Gorgeous clarity, intemsity and citrus-accented minerality here – large scale – hlding as big a finish as the blanchots too – but the initial scale is more – simply excellent wine.
This a contract of two barrels – a wooden and a stainless barrel.
Here the nose is rounder and shows a small smokiness of the barrel. Super entry – incisive, broad, growing in citrus intensity. The barrel is more obvious in the flavours – and I’d wait 2-3 years for that to disappear – but I think this a great Bougros!
2021 Chablis Les Clos
Own young vines had nothing because of the frost – 22 will be the first vintage from them – so this is a contract of two (stainless) barrels.
Perhaps a slightly more diffuse nose but one with more airy volume too. Wide, pure, growing in intensity – there’s some steely intensity to this wine – more structural too. The finish slowly broadening and it’s the first wine with a little extra salinity too – very slowly fading – a simply excellent Les Clos.
All tank elevage.
A little calmer nose; seashore, and more floral citrus complexity too – that’s really quite something! The most mineral, the wine with the most inferred density – exquisite acidity and shape in the mouth – energy but not too much. Almost an impression of calm in the finish. That’s a great wine – and so broad and long in the finish.