2013 Samuel Billaud, Chablis Grand Cru, Preuses

The 2013 Chablis Les Preuses is totally alive in the glass. Slate, crushed rocks, dried pear, spice and mint meld together in the glass, with the additional textural richness from the vinification and aging in barrel. Today, the Preuses is a bit marked by oak. It will be interesting to see how the wine develops over the next year.

(aging in a year-old barrel; Billaud will rack this wine into stainless steel in July and leave it on its fine lees until he bottles it in October or November): Pale, bright yellow. Oak-spicy aromas of peach nectar, herbal tea and linden flower; very Cote d'Or in style. Rich and thick in the mouth, showing lovely floral lift but a hint of youthful bitterness from the oak. The strong finishing spiciness currently gives the aftertaste a slight dry edge.