Samuel Billaud Bourgogne d'Or Chardonnay 2022

Samuel Billaud continues to cement his reputation as one of the town’s best half-dozen producers, crafting wines characterized by textural seamlessness and unerring precision. Working with four hectares of organically farmed estate vineyards, supplemented by purchased grapes, manual harvesting of ripe but bright fruit is the rule here, followed by fermentation at 16 to 20 degrees Celsius in tank or inconspicuous wood, then maturation for 15 to 18 months on the lees for the premier cru and grand cru bottlings. Billaud observed that, in his experience, Chablis’s right bank fared better than its left, and he was able to retain more lees for his right bank cuvées. This is a strong portfolio that avoids the
vintage’s weak points and capitalizes on its strengths, and it will appeal to Chablis purists.