2016 Chablis Les Fourneaux
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Chablis Les Fourneaux 1er Cru has a taut, steely, reserved bouquet that gradually unfolds in the glass to reveal light musk and chalky scents. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite saline in the mouth though, I would like a little more race and tension on the finish. Give this another couple of years in bottle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Chablis 1er Cru Fourneaux is a success, offering up notes of fresh peach, yellow orchard fruit and honeycomb. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, textural and satiny, with nice underlying tension, concluding with chalky grip. It's an impressive achievement to capture so much energy in this sunny site and in this vintage.
This smells a little more of restrained oak influence than the Vaillons though not oaky, just a gentle richness. Tight, bright and perfectly balanced between the gentle but persistent fruit and the shape-giving acidity. Long, stony finish. (JH)
Bought-in grapes. 30-year-old vines. About to be bottled (July 2017). A little more herbal than the Vaillons. A hint of dried grasses but still with fine mineral notes. Perhaps a little more austere/green-fruited than the Vaillons, on the nose at least. On the palate, there’s a wonderful tension and intensity which breeds great length but there’s also some tangy fruit intensity – intense without being particularly fruity. (JH)
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.