2020  Chablis

2020  

One of my most exciting discoveries in Chablis and the Auxerrois was fledgling Domaine Clément Lavallée. Clement's father is the proprietor of a substantial, modern and mechanized domaine in Saint-Bris, but Clément's aspirations were more artisanal. He started his own label in 2019, with just 3.5 hectares supplemented by purchased fruit—a surface that's grown to 5.5 hectares today. Eschewing herbicides, he cultivates the soils with lightweight tractors and keeps chemical treatments to the minimum. Working with a variety of sites and cépages, harvest lasts a full month. In the cellar, whites see a long pressing, with Clément selling in bulk any juice that doesn't please him, and reds see long macerations with a percentage of whole bunches. Élevage takes place in used wood on the lees, and the wines are never pumped. What I tasted on this first visit indicates that Lavallée hit the ground running with his very first vintage. Textural but incisive, pure and penetrating, I was immensely impressed by these young wines - from pungently mineral Chablis, to perfumed and intense reds, to Saint-Bris that's more Auxerrois than it is Sauvignon, everything here comes warmly recommended, and I encourage importers to beat a path to this new domaine's door. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

2019  

"Interestingly, this is aromatically quite similar to the Valmur save for the presence of an abundance of floral and shellfish elements. The super-intense, indeed almost painful, broad-shouldered flavors possess evident minerality and outstanding delineation that possess a bracing salinity on the hugely long finale. This too is clearly built for extended cellaring and is going to need at least 5 to 7 before it will be approachable. In a word, excellent." - 95pts Burghound

2019  

"The 2019 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru, which I did not taste last year, offers well-defined scents of lemon sherbet, vervain tea and orange pith. The palate is vivacious and lively with a creamy texture. You might be duped into thinking there is more new oak in this cuvée, but it’s only around 5%. Taut and saline on the finish, this lingers wonderfully in the mouth. It will be difficult to resist in its youth." - 94pts Vinous

2018  Chablis

"The 2018 Chablis Côte de Jouan 1er Cru has a gorgeous bouquet of lemon curd, orange pith and honeysuckle scents that seem to grab the olfactory senses. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, taut and crisp, leading to a complex finish of sour lemon, kumquat and saline notes that linger on the aftertaste. Superb." - 93pts Neal Martin, Vinous

2018  Mont de Milieu

Mont de Milieu -- "Touches of the exotic are present in the form of lychee nut, dried apricot and white peach along with hints of petrol and quinine. The succulent and borderline oily medium weight plus flavors possess an abundance of dry extract that imparts a sappy texture to the bitter lemon finish where an interesting hint of marmalade appears. This isn't classic but it is actually quite good." - 90-93pts/Sweet Spot Outstanding -- 2018 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu from Domaine Pinson which is one of the highest rated 1er Cru Chablis in the most recent Burghound report! It received the same exact score as Dauvissat 1er Vaillons 2018 and Raveneau 1er Butteaux 2018 (Raveneau 1er Montee de Tonnerre 2018 received almost the same exact score of 91-93). This wine scored higher than the following wines: Dauvissat 1er Sechets 2018 (90-92), Raveneau 1er Montmains 2018 (90-92).

2020  

"An elegant, admirably pure and airy nose freely offers up its aromas of green apple, lemon rind, oyster shell and iodine. There is again fine energy and detail to the equally saliva-inducing medium weight flavors that flash plenty of salinity on the complex, long and balanced finale. This too is excellent for its level." - Outstanding Top Value, Burghound

2019  Mont de Milieu

Mont de Milieu ---- "Here too there is a mild exoticism and wood influence on the ripe and fresh nose that offers up enough Chablis character to be persuasive. The exceptionally rich, intense and plush flavors brim with both minerality and dry extract while exhibiting better length on the powerful, serious and bitter lemon-inflected finale. This should drink well young but have no trouble rewarding up to a decade of cellar time." - 90-92pts Burghound

2019  Montée de Tonnerre

Montée de Tonnerre ---- "Moderate but not invasive oak frames the elegant, airy and quite pretty aromas of white flowers, various citrus and oyster shell wisps. There is excellent intensity to the overtly mineral-driven middle weight flavors that flash very good cut on the sneaky long, lemony and solidly dry and firm finale. This lovely effort is a relatively classic MdT and should age accordingly." - 91-94/Sweet Spot Outstanding Burghound

2019  

"The 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet Vieilles Vignes is wonderful, offering up enticingly marine aromas of citrus oil, oyster shell and rock salt. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, it's layered and multidimensional, with superb depth at the core, racy acids and a long, chalky finish. As ever, it's one of Billaud's finest cuvées." - 94pts WA

2018  Mont de Milieu

Mont de Milieu -- "The 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu is also performing very well, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus oil, spring blossom, crisp green orchard fruit and grapefruit. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, it's nicely concentrated, with a tightly wound core, racy acids and a long, beautifully defined finish. This has turned out beautifully." - 92pts WA

2015  

For those of you who love the crisp, chalky salinity of fine Chablis, the name Billaud should ring a few bells. From AC to Grand Cru, these are layered wines rife with crunchy oyster shell and silex, and exhibit a range of flavor profiles from licorice to white peach to toasty baguette. This is top quality Chablis from a rising star producer - for white Burgundy lovers, these are not to be missed.