2023 Chablis 1er Cru Sechet Vieilles Vignes
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Tasting notes
Samuel Billaud’s Vieilles Vignes Séchet comes from vines that are more than 80 years in age, lending additional intensity. Tasted straight after the Montée de Tonnerre, it is so totally different – the wine much more aromatically expressive with white blossom, a sweet lift and the scent of just-ripe peach. There’s a transparency to the palate – with the flintiness and purity of mineral water, yet with a stony undertone and iodine edge. Satisfying, sleek and pure. Aged exclusively in stainless steel.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Vinous
Allen Meadows, Burghound
More reviews and scores
Sweet spot Outstanding - Restrained aromas of citrus confit, iodine, spice and apple give way to strikingly textured and slightly denser medium-bodied flavors that flash evident power that builds on the bitter lemon-inflected finish that is markedly dry, sleek and balanced. The Billaud Séchet is virtually always excellent and the 2023 vintage should be no exception.
The 2023 Chablis Les Séchets 1er Cru comes from 90-year-old vines, vinified in stainless steel on the lees for 18 months. Crushed stone, sea cave and just a touch of menthol on the intense nose, this is beautifully defined. The palate is well balanced with just a touch of dried apricot and fig, animated and tensile. The penetrating finish lingers in the mouth. Superb!
Planted by Samuel’s grandmother in the 1930s, yielding 40/45 hl/ha in 2023, the Séchets will be kept on lees in stainless steel for a full 18 months. Marvellous intensity right across the palate, once again a truly brilliant wine from Samuel. Beautifully dry finish to a wine that is so full of fruit. Drink from 2028-2035. Tasted Jun 2024.
About the producer
Samuel Billaud started making wine under his own name in 2009, but he is one of the most experienced producers in Chablis, having made wine in the region since 1985.