86 Par Robert Parker
The 2013 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, which comes courtesy of 53-year-old vines, has a crisp, chalky, citrus peel nose that is well focused and offers more intensity than many of its peers this vintage. The palate has a sharp bitter edge on the entry. The acidity is quite sharp here and, unfortunately, it cuts away very swiftly on the finish before you've really gained satisfaction. Maybe it will fill out with bottle age? I found better 2014 Premier Crus from Billaud-Simon this vintage, for example, the Vaillons.
Bernard Billaud sold his share of the domaine to Maison Faiveley last year and I tasted their latest releases blind among their peers. While the 2013 vintage impinged upon the quality here and there, erasing some of the nuance and tension that they might otherwise have imported, there are some very satisfying contributions to what was an inconsistent vintage generally. In particular, the Chablis Vaillons 2013 was one of the best that I encountered, while the Chablis 2014 is about as good as you will find. It will be interesting to see how Faiveley builds upon their introduction in Chablis, whether they will seek to augment their holdings or indeed, whether they will continue with the present name? Personally, I would hope they add these Chablis to the already considerable Faiveley portfolio simply to avoid confusion with Samuel Billaud. We will see.
The 2013 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, which comes courtesy of 53-year-old vines, has a crisp, chalky, citrus peel nose that is well focused and offers more intensity than many of its peers this vintage. The palate has a sharp bitter edge on the entry. The acidity is quite sharp here and, unfortunately, it cuts away very swiftly on the finish before you've really gained satisfaction. Maybe it will fill out with bottle age? I found better 2014 Premier Crus from Billaud-Simon this vintage, for example, the Vaillons.
Bernard Billaud sold his share of the domaine to Maison Faiveley last year and I tasted their latest releases blind among their peers. While the 2013 vintage impinged upon the quality here and there, erasing some of the nuance and tension that they might otherwise have imported, there are some very satisfying contributions to what was an inconsistent vintage generally. In particular, the Chablis Vaillons 2013 was one of the best that I encountered, while the Chablis 2014 is about as good as you will find. It will be interesting to see how Faiveley builds upon their introduction in Chablis, whether they will seek to augment their holdings or indeed, whether they will continue with the present name? Personally, I would hope they add these Chablis to the already considerable Faiveley portfolio simply to avoid confusion with Samuel Billaud. We will see.