Producer Article
Domaine Billaud-Simon
Last edited on 3/25/2020 by LindsayM
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Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
From Burghound: "Producer note: Bernard Billaud, just as he did in 2010, called the 2011 vintage "a complete classic. If the wine school textbooks had a description of what classic Chablis is supposed to smell and taste like, then both 2010 and 2011 produced it. The wines are elegant, very fresh and possess a wonderful sense of tension and drive. I suppose if I had to choose, 2010 is slightly more classic but really, we're splitting hairs. From the standpoint of making a comparison with another recent vintage, I would characterize 2011 as being more like 2008 than 2010, which itself is perhaps more like 2007. The fruit was exceptionally clean and quite ripe as there was no chaptalization. Overall, I think people will love 2011 as the wines will drink well early but should also age beautifully if desired." As to the now in-bottle 2010s, they have fulfilled everything that I saw last year and then some. In sum, they are seriously impressive wines and well worth your attention. "
About Billaud-Simon
Domaine Billaud-Simon in Chablis is comprised of about 42 acres, encompassing four Grands Crus vineyards, including one acre in Les Clos; one acre in Les Preuses; 1.75 acres in Vaudésir; and .44 acre in Les Blanchots. The Domaine also owns four Premiers Crus vineyards, including Montée de Tonnèrre, Mont-de-Milieu, Fourchaume and Vaillons. In addition to its crus wines, Domaine Billaud-Simon makes a Chablis Villages “Tête d’Or”, with grapes harvested exclusively from the estate.
vignes-clos-blanchots-billaud-simon sol-kimmeridgien-1 village-chablis
In 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic wars, Charles Louis Noël Billaud returned home to Chablis and founded Domaine Billaud-Simon. There, thanks to his family’s holdings, he planted the first vines. Then, a little more than a century later in the 1930s, the Domaine’s vineyards were enlarged with the marriage of his descendant Jean Billaud to Renée Simon.
Located close to the Serein River, Jean Billaud’s son, Bernard, took over the estate until its acquisition by Domaine Faiveley in July 2014. Since then, Domaine Billaud-Simon is managed separately from Domaine Faiveley: It has its own vineyard, winemaking facilities and remains dedicated to uphold the same style of the wines while continually striving to improve their quality. Along with technical improvements in the modern winery, manual grape picking is increasingly being practiced for their Grands Crus and selected Premiers Crus.
The Chablis wines of Domaine Billaud-Simon exhibit elegance, balance and pure Chardonnay fruit. Delicious when young, they evolve beautifully with some ageing.
Faiveley purchased the Domaine in 2013, bottling, but, not making the 2013’s. The changes saw a shift to harvesting the fruit earlier–with better nerve and natural acidity–than would have been the case here under Bernard Billaud. Since the acquisition, the wines have gone from strength to strength.
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
From Burghound: "Producer note: Bernard Billaud, just as he did in 2010, called the 2011 vintage "a complete classic. If the wine school textbooks had a description of what classic Chablis is supposed to smell and taste like, then both 2010 and 2011 produced it. The wines are elegant, very fresh and possess a wonderful sense of tension and drive. I suppose if I had to choose, 2010 is slightly more classic but really, we're splitting hairs. From the standpoint of making a comparison with another recent vintage, I would characterize 2011 as being more like 2008 than 2010, which itself is perhaps more like 2007. The fruit was exceptionally clean and quite ripe as there was no chaptalization. Overall, I think people will love 2011 as the wines will drink well early but should also age beautifully if desired." As to the now in-bottle 2010s, they have fulfilled everything that I saw last year and then some. In sum, they are seriously impressive wines and well worth your attention. "
About Billaud-Simon
Domaine Billaud-Simon in Chablis is comprised of about 42 acres, encompassing four Grands Crus vineyards, including one acre in Les Clos; one acre in Les Preuses; 1.75 acres in Vaudésir; and .44 acre in Les Blanchots. The Domaine also owns four Premiers Crus vineyards, including Montée de Tonnèrre, Mont-de-Milieu, Fourchaume and Vaillons. In addition to its crus wines, Domaine Billaud-Simon makes a Chablis Villages “Tête d’Or”, with grapes harvested exclusively from the estate.
vignes-clos-blanchots-billaud-simon sol-kimmeridgien-1 village-chablis
In 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic wars, Charles Louis Noël Billaud returned home to Chablis and founded Domaine Billaud-Simon. There, thanks to his family’s holdings, he planted the first vines. Then, a little more than a century later in the 1930s, the Domaine’s vineyards were enlarged with the marriage of his descendant Jean Billaud to Renée Simon.
Located close to the Serein River, Jean Billaud’s son, Bernard, took over the estate until its acquisition by Domaine Faiveley in July 2014. Since then, Domaine Billaud-Simon is managed separately from Domaine Faiveley: It has its own vineyard, winemaking facilities and remains dedicated to uphold the same style of the wines while continually striving to improve their quality. Along with technical improvements in the modern winery, manual grape picking is increasingly being practiced for their Grands Crus and selected Premiers Crus.
The Chablis wines of Domaine Billaud-Simon exhibit elegance, balance and pure Chardonnay fruit. Delicious when young, they evolve beautifully with some ageing.
Faiveley purchased the Domaine in 2013, bottling, but, not making the 2013’s. The changes saw a shift to harvesting the fruit earlier–with better nerve and natural acidity–than would have been the case here under Bernard Billaud. Since the acquisition, the wines have gone from strength to strength.