Just bottled. Half from the Mâconnais and half Auxerrois. Clear pale colour. Fresh and juicy, not heated, very appetising. Plenty of bright ripe apple energy, a bit of warmth behind, yet finishes compact rather than too juicy. Drink from 2025-2027. Tasted Jun 2024.

As usual, Samuel Billaud's 2023 Bourgogne d'Or Chardonnay is a blend of purchased musts from Mâconnais and Auxerrois and was aged on the lees in the tank for 12 months. Offering aromas of beeswax, pear and honeysuckle, it’s medium-bodied, broad and charming but lacks the incisive spine of acidity found in his Chablis bottlings. Samuel Billaud established his own state-of-the-art winery in the center of Chablis in 2009, and he has emerged as one of the village’s top four or five producers, crafting wines characterized by textural seamlessness and precision. Working with four hectares of organically farmed estate vineyards, supplemented by purchased grapes (for which Billaud decides the harvest date, and his team usually picks the fruit), harvesting of ripe yet vibrant fruit is the rule here. This is followed by fermentation at 16 to 20 degrees Celsius in stainless steel tank and/or used wood (mostly 500-liter barrels from Tonnellerie Chassin), then maturation for 13 months on the lees for Petit Chablis and Chablis Village and 15 to 18 months for the premier cru and grand cru bottlings. His wines are bright, nervy expressions of Chablis with plenty of concentration and length. Producing classy wines of crystalline purity, this address already belongs on any list of Chablis's best.(KK)

The 2023 Bourgogne d’Or comes half from Mâcon-Lugny and half from Auxerrois. It has a simple, bright sunny bouquet with melon and grapefruit scents. The palate is fresh and taut, lightly waxed in texture with a brisk finish. Fine.(NM)