2022, Domaine Samuel Billaud, CHABLIS, 1er Cru, 'Vaillons V.V.'

From 60-year-old vines matured in stainless steel only, the 2022 Chablis Vaillons Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru is very backward on the nose with light iodine and oyster shell scents. The palate is well balanced, taut and linear, very saline in the mouth, the marine-influence finish calling for a huge turrine of fruits de mer. Don't say I didn't warn you! Excellent. 91-93 Neal Martin, Vinous (2023).

The 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Vieilles Vignes delivers a generous bouquet of sweet stone fruits, white flowers and wet stones, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and saline palate that's more classically tightly wound than the nose would suggest; but this is one instance where the 2021 rendition is more typically Chablisien than its 2022 counterpart. 91 William Kelley, Wine Advocate (2023).

Produced from vines averaging 60 years old, this shows the typical Vaillons perfume with notes of white flowers. Very good drive and crispness on the palate. Complex and long aftertaste. A top quality example of Vaillons, with the style of a real thoroughbred. 94 Andy Howard MW, Decanter (2023).

Drinking Window: 2025 - 2042