Samuel Billaud : Chablis 1er cru "Les Fourneaux" 2022

The site’s warmth comes through: steep slopes and a sunny exposition, but balanced by cold soils. Will age. Grapes purchased from two separate plots; Samuel Billaud has worked with the grower for many years.

Tank sample, unoaked. More mineral than the straight Chablis and with a more marked creamy lees aroma as well as a ‘green’/herbal citrus lift. Not a huge step up from the Chablis, perhaps, at least not compared with the difference in price, but there’s more stony/mineral character here and it’s a little more persistent, with a touch of spice on the finish, and needs at least another year in bottle to be more expressive. So perfectly dry. (JH)

The 2022 Chablis Les Fourneaux 1er Cru has a slightly more austere bouquet than Billaud's other Premier Crus: crushed stone, smoke and touches of grilled walnut. Again, this has superb delineation. The palate is taut and fresh, quite sapid and lively. If I must quibble, it doesn't deliver the knockout complexity on the finish like the other cuvées. Still, this is a superb Fourneaux.