2022 Samuel Billaud - Chablis Blanchot

Samuel Billaud founded his namesake domaine in 2009 after years as winemaker at his family's historic estate, Domaine Billaud-Simon. He now crafts his wines in a gravity-fed cellar in the heart of Chablis, working prized holdings in grand crus such as Les Clos, Vaudésir, Montée de Tonnerre, and Séchet, while also sourcing fruit under long-term arrangements from other top sites, including Blanchots, Valmur, and Bougros. His deep relationships with growers across the appellation give him access to some of Chablis's finest parcels.

Blanchot sits on a north-facing, mid-slope position within the Kimmeridgian limestone soils that define the appellation, and this cuvée comes from vines planted in the 1990s. As with Billaud's other premier and grand cru wines, fermentation is mostly carried out in stainless steel, with a portion aged in large, mostly neutral oak barrels to preserve freshness and limit overt wood character.

The wine offers a complex bouquet of green apple, struck flint, and a briny oyster-shell edge. Full bodied and layered, it carries a crisp core of fruit framed by racy acidity, finishing long, saline, and mineral. Serve with raw oysters, pan-seared scallops, or fresh goat cheese.