2011 Chablis Les Preuses
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2011 Chablis Les Preuses is typical Preuses. Gunpowder, salt, lime, white flowers and an array of white stone fruits are all found in the glass. There is plenty of energy and purity in the Preuses, but the vintage has also given the wine an extra dimension of creaminess that makes it surprisingly accessible for a young Grand Cru. This is another delicious 2011 from Billaud-Simon. Although approachable today, it is also pretty clear the 2011 is currently showing just a hint of its ultimate potential.
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
David Schildknecht, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Billaud-Simon’s 2011 Chablis Preuses – from vines planted in 1952 – displays earthy and intriguing suggestions of urchin roe, musky narcissus, and fresh lemon. Richly-textured yet persistently bright, it draws on the sort of sweetly-saline crustacean character so memorably frequent from this cru to generate a finish of mouthwatering temptation and profound depth. This is a fine example of what some will consider the peculiarities – or perhaps even the slightly off-putting exoticism – of Preuses. The rest of us would do well to employ some of this secret weapon at table over the coming decade. When I last visited Bernard Billaud on a June day for my issue 191 report focusing on vintage 2008, he agreed for the first time to show me his young grand crus in advance of bottling and alongside the premier crus that I was used to tasting at that season of the year. Unfortunately, he made emphatically clear on this most recent occasion that such would not be the case; indeed, I was not offered any of the 2012s to taste, but instead the full 2011 collection, and a report on Billaud-Simon’s 2012 will have to wait for next year, before which, in any case, they will not have been put on the market. (In keeping with existing conventions at The Wine Advocate – and seeing that there are modes of vinification in common and only one overlap in cru designations – I have not indicated as part of each wine’s description whether or not it relies entirely on domaine as opposed to contract fruit.) Imported by Langdon Shiverick, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (213) 483-5900
(made entirely in stainless steel): Pale yellow. Deep, ripe aromas of peach, white flowers, crushed herbs, mint and menthol. Juicy, light and penetrating, with a strong impression of acidity giving grip to the tactile grapefruit, peach, pepper and herb flavors. Seems less ripe than some of the other 2011s here, even a bit tart on the finish, but this is also very tightly wound today.
Very fine nose and obvious density. Bone dry but delightfully pure. All the cut of a fine Chablis plus a bit of stuffing. Worth waiting for. (JR)