2022 Billaud Simon Chablis

If you have been buying Chablis for any length of time, you have surely encountered the wines from Billaud Simon. Personally, they are my reference point producer making terroir driven Chablis.

The Billaud Simon family arrived in Chablis in 1815, nine generations have tended these Kimmeridgian soils and built one of the most respected Domaines in the region. In that time they had amassed 17 hectares (42 acres) of arguably some of the best plots in all of Chablis, Les Clos, Preuses and Montee de Tonnerre to name a few.  

In 2014, in what may have seemed like in the cover of darkness, famed Burgundy producer Domaine Faively negotiated a deal to acquire the Domaine and its vineyards for an undisclosed sum…what may have seemed like a huge number at the time instantly gave Faiveley a dominating presence in Chablis as one of the larger landholders with an enviable array of vineyards.

Oliver Bailly has been in charge of the winemaking since 2014 when Faiveley took over. Much of the philosophy has remained the same. Terroir driven wines, focusing on freshness and energy showcasing the purity of what the unique Chablis terroir offers.

I’ve followed this domaine for as long as I can remember. I’ve drank countless bottles over the years, and the one thing I can say with certainty is if you can keep your hands off them for a number of  years, what develops in the bottle can be absolutely magical. A 2010 Montee de Tonnerre opened over this summer is a wine I can still vividly remember. Liquid minerals that showed the perfect balance between richness and freshness - it was everything you could ever want Chablis to be. When you look at what the price is for Raveneau and Dauvissat these days, i think the smart money buys a 6pk of Billaud Simon instead!