Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Valmur Grand Cru 2020

Domaine Billaud-Simon is an elite domaine in Chablis, founded by Charles Louis Noël Billaud in 1815 at the end of the Napoleonic Wars when he returned home to Chablis. He decided to plant the first vines shortly after his return with the help of his family’s holdings. The domaine acquired more vineyards in the 1930’s with the marriage of his descendant Jean Billaud to Renée Simon. Jean managed the Domaine alongside his father-in-law Jules Simon. Eventually Jean Billaud’s son, Bernard, took over the Family estate and ran it until its acquisition by the famed Burgundian Faiveley family in 2014. Today Domaine Billaud Simon is managed independently from Domaine Faiveley with its own winemaking facilities, and team. They strive to continually improve quality, while preserving the style of classical Chablis wines.   

Billaud-Simon seeks to produce a crisp, mineral style of Chablis with finesse, purity, and elegance. These wines are delicious when young, yet offer great ageing potential – the benchmark high acidity is complimented by richness of fruit, particularly in the Grand Crus which will typically improve in bottle for at least a decade. The Chablis wines of Domaine Billaud-Simon present sophistication, balance and pure Chardonnay fruit, which prove to be superb examples of modern style Chablis. 

This is an exceptional example of a Billaud-Simon Grand Cru Chablis from the Valmur vineyard on the Serein's right bank. Valmur takes its name from walls and brambles and is one of the seven climats of the Chablis Grand Cru appellation, covering 10.5 hectares. Shaped like an amphitheater, it enjoys an exposure going south to west. Because of this particular shape, it soaks in the sun during the hottest hours of the day. An area facing northwest adds a fresh quality, as well as a later maturity. Sitting on Kimmeridgian marl, the soil at the bottom is deep and brown, while the soil higher up is thin and white with marl at the top.

Billaud-Simon's parcel is between les Grenouilles and Les Clos, planted in chalk-clay soil on Kimmeridgian sub-soil, typical of the Chablis appellation. This climat produces wines that are a little more subtle than the neighboring vines. At Domaine Billaud-Simon, the work in the vineyards is meticulous in order to pick the grapes at the perfect moment. After sorting and pressing, the wine is matured for 15 to 18 months in stainless steel vats. This cuvée gives off lemon aromas and develops a lovely minerality that first appears on the nose. On the palate, elegance and delicacy dominate and we find that the citrus notes carry through. This wine can be aged for over ten years.