The Billaud family has been making Chablis since 1815 under the name Billaud-Simon, with Samuel embodying the sixth generation ehir to the Chablisian spirit. Samuel spent 20 years learning and working his way up at Billaud-Simon, making a name for himself as a very skilled winemaker. With his talent for winemaking being nurtured and developed at the family estate, there was nothing holding him back when starting his own label.

Today, Samuel makes delicious terroir* driven wines with minimum intervention during the winemaking process. This results in an array of beautiful Chardonnays that are set to seduce. The crunchy acidity and minerality of the Kimmeridgian soils shine through with deft elegance. The taste is a mix of fresh apple, white peach, silex (resulting from the deposits of flint found in the soil) and oyster shell flavours along with some delightful brioche aromas. These wines are to be placed on the podium of the very best Chablis wines.

With his experience and love for tradition Samuel had developed strong beliefs and convictions that couldn’t fully be realised at a big producer like Billaud-Simon. This is why he launched his much-anticipated micro-négoce by himself in 2010, to allow him to stand alone and perfect his style. This freedom gave him the opportunity to be liberated as the true artist that he is.

In 2014, Samuel Billaud made a welcomed entrance into the top five producers of the region. Billaud-Simon was sold in August 2014 to Faiveley, a large négociant from the Côte d’Or. From this sale, Samuel inherited one sixth of the vineyard holding, 4.2 hectares of vineyards in total. With these vines as well as his deep roots in the region which enable him to source grapes of great quality from some of the most recognised growers, he has all the tools required to continue to elevate the quality of his wines even further.

Since the 2014 vintage Samuel has a new winery in Chablis with the latest technology and machinery available. What’s more, 500 litre demi-muid oak barrels are used for the maturation of the 1er Cru and Grand Cru in order to magnify these complex wines without bringing substantial oak flavours. The balance is extremely fine.

Today, what Samuel is producing has already grabbed the attention of famed wine critics like Neal Martin of Wine Advocate magazine, who has predicted that this Domaine is set to climb to the very top of Chablis producers alongside the likes of Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat.

“Year-in, year-out – Samuel produces some of the most texturally sensuous wines of Chablis. I always look forward to my visit” Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report

Finally, Samuel’s range includes some of the best appellations like the 1er Crus “Séchet”, “Mont de Milieu”, “Montée de Tonnerre” and the Grand Crus “Les Clos”, “Les Preuses” and “Vaudésir”.  If you like Chablis, these wines are well worth your attention.

Clos Cachet is honoured to import Domaine Samuel Billaud’s wine into Australia. They represent beautifully, and with landmark-style, what Chablis is all about.

*Terroir is the specific combination of location, vineyard, climate and people that create a wine. Accordingly, different terroirs produce different wines.

Chablis

View the location of Samuel Billaud's vines on the PDF below.