2024 Domaine Samuel Billaud Chablis Grand Cru "Vaudesir"

A live wire of early summer fruits, some cheeky prickly pears and verbena, this is preciously pure Vaudésir. Racy acidity makes quick work of framing the medium-bodied palate that feels rather lithe for Vaudésir but is perfectly in line with 2024. White peaches softly carry into the finish, making it easy to keep going back to the glass.

Derived from east- and west-facing parcels and matured for a year in used Chassin barrels before spending six months in tank, Samuel Billaud’s 2024 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir opens in the glass with a bouquet of pear, beeswax, peach and lemon oil mingling with white flowers. On the palate, it’s medium- to full-bodied, deep and layered, with considerable underlying tension and tangy acids, culminating in a long, precise finish. Samuel Billaud established his own state-of-the-art winery in the center of Chablis in 2009, and he has since emerged as one of the village’s leading producers, crafting wines that unite texture and precision. Working with four hectares of organically farmed estate vineyards, supplemented by purchased grapes—for which Billaud determines the harvest date, and his team usually picks the fruit—harvesting of ripe yet vibrant grapes is the rule here.(KK)