Samuel Billaud

History of Domaine Samuel Billaud

The story of Samuel Billaud is one of a vocation first thwarted, then triumphant. Son of the owner of Domaine Billaud-Simon, the celebrated Chablis house established in Chablis since 1815, he succeeded his father at just 24 years of age in 1991 and took over the reins of the family domaine with his cousin Bernard Billaud. Samuel then deployed his exceptional qualities as a grower and winemaker, producing for nearly twenty years some of the greatest vintages that Domaine Billaud-Simon had ever known, rivalling the finest signatures of Chablis.

Faced with insurmountable family succession issues, Samuel left the domaine in 2008. The following year, in 2009, he created his own house under his own name and began as a négociant-vinificateur, buying grapes and then wines from carefully selected individual plots. In 2014, Domaine Billaud-Simon was sold to Maison Faiveley, and on that occasion Samuel inherited four hectares of superb vines located on some of the finest slopes of Chablis, including prestigious Premiers Crus and Grands Crus. In 2015, he invested in the renovation of a winery situated in the heart of the village of Chablis, formerly the property of Stéphane Moreau-Naudet, and the domaine took on its current configuration.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Samuel Billaud

The vineyard of Domaine Samuel Billaud now extends over approximately eight hectares of its own, complemented by a strictly controlled négociant activity with partner growers. The plots are carefully selected from the finest slopes of Chablis and Petit Chablis, encompassing a prestigious range of appellations: Petit Chablis, Chablis village, benchmark Premiers Crus (Montée de Tonnerre, Mont de Milieu, Vaillons, Séchet, Les Fourneaux) and Grands Crus (Les Clos, Les Preuses, Vaudésir, Bougros, Blanchot, Valmur).

The Chablis terroir rests on a unique Kimmeridgian soil, rich in marine fossils, shells and algae, the product of an ancient seabed. This soil imparts to the Chardonnays their vibrant mineral signature, their chalky salinity and their great complexity. The vines are tended according to traditional Chablis techniques, namely short pruning with a long framework, complemented by rigorous disbudding and careful ploughing. A massal selection of Chardonnay vines ensures the superior quality of the plant material. The domaine is certified in organic viticulture, with no chemical inputs whatsoever, in an approach that is deeply respectful of the environment and of living things.

Winemaking at Domaine Samuel Billaud

At the cellar, located in the heart of the village of Chablis, Samuel Billaud applies a precise and minimally interventionist winemaking approach. Harvesting takes place at optimal ripeness, following rigorous plot-by-plot monitoring. The new gravity-fed winery requires only a single pumping of the wines, with the rest occurring naturally. It is equipped with new stainless steel tanks and an underground barrel-ageing cellar. Renewable energy is prioritised at every stage, as part of a sustainable development approach.

After gentle pressing, settling and fermentation, the wines are aged depending on the cuvée either in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, which preserve the freshness and energy of the fruit, or in Burgundian oak barrels for the most prestigious cuvées, with a measured proportion of new wood. Samuel has made the singular choice of concluding the ageing of certain crus in stainless steel tanks after a period in barrels, which brings complexity and precision without masking the Chablis minerality. Ageing lasts from 8 to 16 months depending on the cuvée. The result is expressed in brilliant, chiselled and precise Chablis wines of great finesse, endowed with a crystalline structure and a superb ageing potential.

The Cuvées of Domaine Samuel Billaud

Bourgogne d'Or: an original cuvée created in 2016, a blend of Chablis and Mâconnais Chardonnays, which immediately sets the bar very high. The wine offers a beautiful freshness that is quintessentially Chablis, with delicate notes of liquorice, grey pepper, fine herbs and citrus fruits, combined with a frank expression of fruit on Reinette and Granny Smith apple.

Petit Chablis: an entry-level cuvée from old vines located on the plateau overlooking the mythical Grand Cru Les Clos. The wine stands out for its incredible density and formidable precision, exuding remarkable energy and vitality, far removed from classic Petit Chablis wines.

Chablis Les Grands Terroirs: a signature village cuvée, from old vines of 35 to 50 years planted on plots located on both banks of the village of Chablis. The wine offers great purity of fruit, a saline minerality and a crystalline structure, a perfect reflection of the house style.

Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre: One of the most renowned Premiers Crus of Chablis, located on the right bank. The wine stands out for its richness, finesse and precision, with a complex nose of white fruits and citrus, a taut and deep palate, built for ageing.

Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu: A Premier Cru neighbouring Montée de Tonnerre, produced from four plots of varying ages (40 years on average). Notes of pumice stone and flint on the nose, a chiselled and refined structure, remarkable freshness, admirable finesse and a beautiful length. A benchmark cuvée for the domaine.

Chablis 1er Cru Séchet Vieilles Vignes: A Premier Cru from old vines in the Séchet climat, on the left bank. The wine offers a mineral and complex nose, a taut, refined and persistent palate, with a very saline signature.

Chablis 1er Cru Les Fourneaux: A right-bank Premier Cru, this wine stands out for its roundness, aromas of yellow fruits and hazelnut, and its beautiful depth.

Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Vieilles Vignes: A left-bank Premier Cru from old vines in the renowned Vaillons climat. The wine combines freshness, chalky minerality and beautiful aromatic complexity.

Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos: the iconic jewel of the domaine, this Grand Cru is produced in very limited quantities (sometimes only a few hundred bottles). Endowed with an eminently complex structure and an incredible concentration on the palate, this exceptional and spirited Grand Cru captivates with its invigorating maritime breath and its considerable ageing potential.

Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses: A right-bank Grand Cru, this wine stands out for its power, its complex nose of exotic fruits, and its ample palate, supported by a marked saline minerality.

Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir: A Grand Cru considered one of the freshest and most intensely mineral in the collection. A wine of great elegance, with a poetic floral dimension, evoking a garden of rare essences, with subtle fragrances tinged with sea spray. Beautiful fruit, impeccable tension, and an energetic, rising finish.

Chablis Grand Cru Bougros: A Grand Cru offering generous roundness, aromas of ripe yellow fruits, honey and almond, supported by a fine acidity and a beautiful length.

Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot: A Grand Cru of later maturity that joined the domaine in 2015, it is a pinnacle of finesse and diaphanous purity. Immense subtlety on the nose and palate, uprightness, tension and incredible precision on the finish make it a benchmark for purists of great Chablis.

Chablis Grand Cru Valmur: A rare and little-known Grand Cru, this wine stands out for its aromatic depth, its restrained power and its remarkable balance, in the purest style of the domaine.