Louis Billard

The Story of Louis Billard

The story of Louis Billard is rooted in the continuity of a winemaking lineage deeply attached to the Burgundian terroir. Louis grew up in the cellars of Domaine Billard Père et Fils, a family estate founded in 1930 in La Rochepot, in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, today managed by his father Jérôme Billard. It is there, among the barrels and the vines of Pommard, Auxey-Duresses, Saint-Romain, Saint-Aubin and Beaune, that he developed an intimate and convivial vision of wine, considered less as a collector's object than as an essential companion to shared moments.

Driven by personal ambition, Louis continues his apprenticeship beyond the family estate. He notably spends two decisive years at the prestigious Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, an experience he describes as a "great source of inspiration and motivation". Armed with this heritage and elite training, he launches his own project in 2022 under the Louis Billard label, presenting from his very first vintage an impressive array of cuvées from the finest villages of the Côte d'Or, immediately noted by international critics and compared to the most inspiring signatures in contemporary Burgundy.

Terroirs and Vines of Louis Billard

Louis Billard works across a particularly wide range of Burgundian terroirs, covering both the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits, with a clear guiding principle: selecting the most expressive and most authentic climates. His family base in La Rochepot, in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, remains his geographical anchor, yet his cuvées also extend to Saint-Romain, Saint-Aubin, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Volnay, Beaune, Chambolle-Musigny, Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanée. The range even includes an exceptional Grand Cru, the Bâtard-Montrachet.

The soils, blending Jurassic limestone, clay-marl and silt depending on the village, give each plot a unique signature: mineral tension and finesse in Chassagne and Saint-Aubin for the whites, fleshy and tannic depth in Pommard, airy elegance in Chambolle-Musigny, spiced depth in Gevrey-Chambertin. The grape varieties are the two pillars of Burgundy: Pinot Noir for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites. The harvests are entirely manual, carried out early in the morning and quickly transported to the cellar in small crates, then stored in a cold room overnight to preserve the purity of the fruit.

Vinifications of Louis Billard

In the cellar, Louis Billard's approach combines respect for Burgundian traditions with contemporary precision. For the whites, pressing is carried out in whole bunches, slow and progressive over approximately three hours, with a maximum pressure of 1.8 bar. Louis regularly tastes the juices to adjust pressure and duration. The musts are left to oxidise after pressing, without any addition of sulphur, followed by cold settling overnight. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place with indigenous yeasts in oak barrels, followed by a long ageing on fine lees.

For the reds, the philosophy is equally demanding: a few days of cold pre-fermentary maceration, alcoholic fermentation conducted naturally with indigenous yeasts (approximately 15 days), with a few gentle pump-overs at the start of vatting to moisten the cap. Ageing then takes place in 228-litre oak barrels for 14 months (with approximately 30% new barrels), followed by two months in stainless steel tanks. The final filtration is very gentle (lenticular filter), and sulphur additions are deliberately very moderate — after alcoholic fermentation and then at bottling (approximately 20 mg/l of free SO2) — to deliver pure, expressive wines that are faithful to their terroir.

The cuvées of Louis Billard

The Saint-Romain Blanc offers a superb introduction to the white range, with a fresh, chiselled Chardonnay marked by brilliant minerality and notes of citrus and white flowers. A perfectly balanced cuvée to drink in its youth or to wait a few years.

The Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Les Castets expresses the full aromatic finesse of the climat, a stone's throw from Montrachet. A taut, saline Chardonnay, marked by ripe yellow fruits, white flowers and a chalky signature, this is an exceptional Premier Cru with a remarkable quality-to-price ratio.

The Meursault embodies all the roundness and aromatic generosity of this mythical appellation. Buttery notes, hazelnut, ripe white fruits, an ample and deep finish — this Meursault from Louis Billard combines richness and freshness in an elegant balance.

The white Chassagne-Montrachet reveals the quintessence of Côte de Beaune Chardonnay. A taut palate, marked by flint, candied citrus and white flowers, underpinned by a straight acidity and a long, saline finish.

The Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is the absolute pinnacle of the white range. From one of Burgundy's most prestigious Grand Crus, this grandiose Chardonnay offers a dense, vinous, deep substance marked by honey, toasted hazelnut, white flowers and a powerful mineral framework, destined for a very long ageing.

The Bourgogne Pinot Noir and the other entry-level red cuvées offer an approachable gateway into the world of Louis Billard, with pure fruit, a fine texture and remarkable drinkability.

The Pommard Les Noizons is one of the emblematic cuvées of the Côte de Beaune. A deep colour, nose of black cherry, plum and spices, a fleshy, structured yet silky palate: a Pommard of great purity with strong ageing potential.

The Pommard Premier Cru Les Fremiers is a superb expression of Pommard, from a climat located on the border of the Premiers Crus Fremiets of Volnay. A careful vinification (5 days of cold maceration, 15 days of fermentation, 14 months of ageing in barrels, including 30% new) yields a deep, fleshy, elegant wine, as suited to the table as to the cellar.

The Volnay Premier Cru embodies the airy, feminine elegance characteristic of Volnay. Silky tannins, brilliant strawberry and raspberry fruit, a floral and silky finish — this is a refined and delicate cuvée.

The Chambolle-Musigny reveals all the aromatic lacework of this mythical appellation in the Côte de Nuits. A floral and silky Pinot Noir with a fine texture, the purest expression of fresh red fruit and rose notes — a perfect signature of the climat.

The Gevrey-Chambertin village offers the classic depth of Gevrey, with a fleshy Pinot Noir marked by black cherry, spices and fine undergrowth notes, underpinned by an elegant tannic structure.

The Gevrey-Chambertin Regnard, an identified lieu-dit, offers a more precise reading of the Gevrey terroir, with a dense substance, a clear aromatic expression and a spiced finish — the signature of this climat.

The Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Petite Chapelle is one of the great Premiers Crus of the appellation, situated on the northern slope of the village. Precise vinification yields a deep, structured wine with a mineral texture and remarkable ageing potential. A polished and thoroughbred signature.

The Vosne-Romanée crowns the red range with all the magic of Burgundy's most mythical village. Bewitching notes of dark fruits, gentle spices, rose and truffle, a silky, deep palate with a long and complex finish: an inspired expression from an exceptional terroir.