2024 Samuel Billaud - Chablis Bougros (750ml) [PRE ARRIVAL]

Samuel Billaud comes from a well-known Chablis winemaking family and worked as winemaker at Domaine Billaud-Simon before striking out on his own in 2009 to found his eponymous label. He later purchased vines that had belonged to Billaud-Simon and, in 2015, moved into a gravity-fed winery in the heart of Chablis. His range now draws on some of the appellation's finest grand cru sites, including Bougros, earning comparisons to benchmark producers like François Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat.

Bougros sits on the westernmost edge of the Chablis grand cru hillside, with a south to southwest exposure and Kimmeridgian limestone and clay soils near the Serein River that help preserve acidity even in warmer years. The notoriously difficult 2024 vintage, marked by frost, hail, and heavy rain, pushed yields down sharply across the appellation, yet Billaud found real concentration in what fruit he brought in. Half the Bougros is raised in 500-liter barrels, a slightly higher proportion of wood than some of his other cuvées, lending weight and texture to the finished wine.

The result is a powerful, richly concentrated Chablis with bold citrus, pineapple, and pear fruit, wrapped in a spicy, mineral character and a striking sense of weight and vitality. Subtle notes of cabbage and gunsmoke add complexity to the finish. It's a wine built for richer seafood, like grilled langoustine or a butter-poached lobster.