2016 Chablis Vaudesir
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru comes from two parcels occupying different orientations of the vineyard. It has a gorgeous "sunny" bouquet with yellow plum, orange zest and a touch of grapefruit, a fine line of mineralité tucked underneath. The palate is very well defined with a crisp line of acidity, taut and quite powerful yet clammed up tight on the finish as if to say, come back later. Cellar this for at least four years.
Critic scores
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Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
A reserved bouquet of lemon oil, dried white flowers and beeswax introduces the 2016 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir, a dense, full-bodied and concentrated wine that's quite firm and structured on the palate, showing considerable promise. It hails from two parcels at either end of this climat.
Fermented in barrel and aged in tank. Barrel sample – in barrel until August 2017 and will then spend six months in tank before bottling. Finished malo July 2017. He took it from the barrel and added two drops of SO2 for this tasting (July 2017). The oak shows in a light note of spice on the nose. This has amazing intensity even in youth. Flies like an arrow but does not sting like a bee. The aroma is all you expect in fine grand cru Chablis, herbal lemon, minerality in the extreme, a hint of oak in spice and creaminess but all so poised and mouth-watering. Samuel says it has tightened up with the addition of the SO2 for travelling. (JH)
About the producer
Samuel Billaud started making wine under his own name in 2009, but he is one of the most experienced producers in Chablis, having made wine in the region since 1985.