Chablis Montee de Tonnerre, 1er Cru 2021

Chablis / Samuel Billaud

Excel download

View All Vintages of this Wine

Units Size Case size GBP Price: Quantities Buy
24 75cl Bottle Case 12 £550 per Case Cases [Add to shopping basket]
Tasting Notes

The 2021 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru retains its serious and backward nose, very saline and still with that faint tang of kelp/Japanese nori. The palate is beautifully balanced with a keen thread of acidity, notes of orange rind and a more malic finish than I recall, yet with the same wondrous elegance and poise. This will age wonderfully in bottle and require time for the aromatics to awaken. Let’s cut to the chase. Samuel Billaud is one of the most exciting winemakers in Chablis. He has the “touch” that elevates wines to another level, an uncommon sense of completeness and complexity. Would I put him in the same tier as Vincent Dauvissat and Raveneau? I would.

Score: 94

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2042 01 July 2023

The 2021 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru, vinified the same as the Mont de Milieu, has another "serious" backward, saline nose, almost with a slight seaweed scent. Fine acidity in the mouth, the palate is well balanced and very focused with hints of orange rind and apricot rendering it a little more consumer-friendly than the Mont de Milieu. Superb. Quite simply, Samuel Billaud is one of the best producers in Chablis at the moment. If you have not discovered the wines, what are you waiting for?

Score: 93 - 95

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2040 01 June 2022

Strong notes of mineral reduction largely dominate the more floral-suffused aromas of green apple and iodine. The suave and succulent medium-bodied flavors also coat the palate with dry extract on the refined, pure and focused finish that displays excellent length. This very classy effort will need at least some patience as it's presently quite compact. Lovely stuff.

Score: 92 - 94

Allen Meadows, Burghound Maturity: 2029+ 10 October 2022

(5 star wine). From upper Chapelot and the central triangle of Montée de Tonnerre itself, with 20% wood. Pale colour with a lime green edge. The bouquet has barely started singing here, but the wine soars on the palate with that sunny generosity of fruit before the crunch of the kimmeridgian fossils. The two sides are beautifully integrated. This wine has a terrific backbone which leaves a clinically dry aftertaste. Really fine. Drink from 2025-2032. Tasted: June 2022.

Score: 93 - 95

Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy Maturity: 2025-2032 01 June 2022