One day, one wine: a grand cru "so Chablis "!

We're not going to wait until the holidays to open some nice bottles! Certainly not, and so we started training last night with a Chablis grand cru The Blanchots 2000 of domaine Billaud-Simon. And what a magnificent bottle, with its golden hue and aromas of spice, honey, and yellow fruit. On the palate, a wine of incredible richness, delicately aged, while retaining that subtle mineral, chalky, iodine-tinged character that makes wines of Chablis They are unlike other white Burgundy wines. You can't go wrong! 2000 was a good vintage, particularly in Chablis Moreover, who was able to benefit from the beautiful late season after a mixed summer, as was often the case at the time; a rather abundant year, therefore rather delicate, but well-ripened, in pinot noir as in chardonnay Most of the 2000 vintage bottles we've had the pleasure of tasting in recent years were still delicious, in both colors. At the time, a talented young winemaker was at the helm: Samuel Billaud. In October 1999, in the "5 Years" anniversary issue of Bourgogne Aujourd'hui, he was 28 years old, and we invited him to share his thoughts on the future of Chablis, after decades of strong growth in planted areas during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Samuel Billaud delivered an ambitious speech about the need to pause, to focus on quality rather than quantity, to limit yields, extend aging, and "refine our identity through the quality of our work in viticulture and winemaking." He hasn't changed... He left in 2008. domaine family business to establish its trading activity. During the sale of Billaud-Simon to the maison Faiveley In 2014, Samuel Billaud was able to recover his share of the vineyards.

Christophe TUPINIER

Publishing Director