Weine, Frankreich:

91/100 Punkte Vinous, January 2015
(95% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Blanc: Pale gold. Candied lemon, lime pith and white flowers on the fragrant nose, with deeper orange and buttered toast qualities emerging with air. Juicy flavors of pear and Meyer lemon show impressive depth and cut, with a gingery nuance adding energy. Bright, focused and mineral-driven on the clinging finish, which leaves behind notes of honeysuckle and brioche.

91/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Nov. 30, 2012
A lithe Champagne, powered by racy acidity. Offers fine texture and flavors of white peach, candied lemon zest, pastry dough and crystallized honey, with a firm, minerally finish. Drink now through 2020. 3,000 cases made.

91/100 Punkte Falstaff
Helles Goldgelb mit feinperligem Mousseux. Bukett von frischen Himbeeren, reifen Erdbeeren und Cassis, ein Hauch von gelbem Pfirsich, Zitruszesten. Am Gaumen trocken und lebendiger Säurebogen, zupackend, geradlinig. Im Nachgeschmack ein Touch von getrockneten Wiesenkräutern mit würzigen Anklängen, animierend und erfrischend. Idealer Aperitif.

90/100 Punkte Wine Spectator Jun 15, 2012
An aromatic note of bread dough accents hints of lemon zest, green pear and mineral here. This is balanced, but definitely leans towards the firm and austere side, so try this with food. Drink now through 2017.

90/100 Punkte Winespectator, Nov. 30, 2011
There's good cut to this light-bodied Champagne, which is fresh and floral, offering hints of white peach, lemon zest, kumquat, ground ginger and white pepper. Moderate finish. Drink now.

90/100 Punkte Winespectator, Nov. 30, 2011
There's good cut to this light-bodied Champagne, which is fresh and floral, offering hints of white peach, lemon zest, kumquat, ground ginger and white pepper. Moderate finish. Drink now.

90/100 Punkte Winespectator, Nov. 30, 2011
There's good cut to this light-bodied Champagne, which is fresh and floral, offering hints of white peach, lemon zest, kumquat, ground ginger and white pepper. Moderate finish. Drink now.

90/100 Punkte Winespectator, Nov. 30, 2011
There's good cut to this light-bodied Champagne, which is fresh and floral, offering hints of white peach, lemon zest, kumquat, ground ginger and white pepper. Moderate finish. Drink now.

90-92/100 Stephen Tanzer Jul/Aug 14
(these 60-year-old vines were the first to be picked in 2013): Pale, green-tinged yellow. Musky, precise aromas of pineapple, grapefruit and white flowers. A rich, ripe fruit bomb on the palate, with citrus and pineapple flavors showing lovely vivacity and lift without any hardness. Really spreads out and glistens on the back end, leaving behind a strong impression of dry extract and a suggestion of candied lemon peel. Impressive volume here: the crop level was barely 30 hectoliters per hectare, according to Billaud, who will bottle all of his premier crus in July and September. Billaud noted that fruit is very important for Vaillons but admitted that he was nonetheless worried about making a heavy wine in 2013.

90-92/100 Punkte Robert Parker Aug 2014
The 2013 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu, which sees 20% wood aging, has a powdered chalk and apple blossom-scented bouquet, primal but already well-defined. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with cutting acidity and a razor-sharp, very poised finish. This is cut from a similar cloth as the 2012.

93/100 Punkte Robert Parker July 2016
The 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre saw 5% maturation in barrel, like the Mont de Milieu. This has a subtle and precise bouquet of fresh pear, Granny Smith apples and sea spray--more mineralité coming through with each swirl of the glass. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, harmonious with a hint of lemongrass that lends spiciness to the finish. This is one of the picks from Samuel Billaud this year, thanks to the tension on the finish.

92-94/100 Punkte Stephen Tanzer Vinous, June 2015
15% of this wine is in an old 550-liter barrel: Pale yellow with a green tinge. Lime zest, oyster shell, ginger and quinine on the nose. Vibrant and rich in the mouth, combining flavors of fresh peach, spices and pepper. Densely packed, dusty and weightless; still youthfully tight and a bit metallic and flinty. Finishes strict, linear and long, with strong salinity. Right now, this is more closed and slightly more bitter than the Séchet.

90-92/100 Vinous Aug 2015
Pale, bright yellow-green. Strong yellow peach aroma complicated by flint and spices; this could hardly be more different in style from the Séchet. Fat and sweet on the palate, showing lovely concentration but a softer texture and less inner-mouth tension to its yellow fruit flavors. Finishes fat and persistent. This cuvée is a blend of vines at three different altitudes.

90-92/100 Robert Parker 31 Aug 2016
The 2015 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu comes from three different ages of vine that are blended together just after the harvest, the oldest vines up to 60 years old. It has a seductive bouquet with touches of apple blossom, wet limestone (again) and a hint of shaved almond that lends it a little more sweetness than the Vaillons at the moment. The palate is well balanced with a crisp line of acidity. I appreciate the briskness and vigor here, quite intense, but it manages to retain admirable finesse on the finish. It has the substance to repay cellaring if so inclined, although it will be difficult to resist in its youth.

90-92/100 Robert Parker 31 Aug 2016
The 2015 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu comes from three different ages of vine that are blended together just after the harvest, the oldest vines up to 60 years old. It has a seductive bouquet with touches of apple blossom, wet limestone (again) and a hint of shaved almond that lends it a little more sweetness than the Vaillons at the moment. The palate is well balanced with a crisp line of acidity. I appreciate the briskness and vigor here, quite intense, but it manages to retain admirable finesse on the finish. It has the substance to repay cellaring if so inclined, although it will be difficult to resist in its youth.

90-92/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2016
The 2015 Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes comes from a parcel of 70-year-old vines adjacent to Sécher. Samuel Billaud commented he has found that this particular cuvée has become more saline and minerally in barrel. It has a very complex bouquet with scents of wet limestone, yellow plum and a touch of white peach. The palate is fresh on the entry with a touch of orange rind, steely and linear; it is strict for a Vaillons, with a precise and stony finish that lingers nicely in the mouth. This should represent an enticing Chablis once in bottle.

91-93/100 Punkte Robert Parker August 2016
The 2015 Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre comes from two parcels in the lieux-dits of Haut Chapelot and Montée de Tonnerre itself (in a part known as the triangle due to its shape). It has a very refined bouquet with scents of white peach and a hint of nectarine developing alongside chalky aromas. The palate is very crisp on the entry with notes of Granny Smith apple, that white peach again and a touch of spice that lends tension and energy towards the finish; there is a dab of lemongrass that seems to fizz on the tip of the tongue after the wine has departed. This is a one of Samuel Ballad's most impressive releases in 2015.

92-94/100 Punkte Robert Parker Aug 2015
The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses has a very refined, marine-influenced bouquet with oyster-shell scents developing alongside subtle, spicy aromas. The palate is fresh, vibrant with lime and citrus lemon, the acidity providing the momentum and the energy that drives this Les Preuses along, finishing with a mineral flourish. This is superior to the 2013 at the moment and should delight many Chablis-lovers once in bottle.

92/100 Punkte vinous, June 2015
Pale, bright yellow. Aromas and flavors of fresh apricot, peach, flowers, honey and spicy, toasty oak. Plush and suave in the mouth, offering superb concentration and a wonderfully refined texture. Billaud told me that this fruit benefited from slow ripening in September. He carried out a short, gentle pressing and noted that the element of dry rot stayed behind in the marc. The crop level here was just 25 hectoliters per hectare, according to Billaud. This wine is more impressive in bottle than it was a year ago from barrel.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2014
A classic wine from this estate, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape has beautiful kirsch, roasted meat, ground pepper and assorted wild herbs and lavender aromatics, medium to full-bodied richness, and a tight, structured and nicely concentrated palate. Give it 2-3 years and enjoy bottles through 2024.

94/100 Punkte Vinous Apr 2015
Vivid ruby. Exotic, expansive aromas of fresh red and dark berries, incense, anise and garrigue. Deep, sappy black raspberry and boysenberry flavors show excellent clarity, with a hint of spicecake building in the glass. Nicely balances power and finesse and shows outstanding vivacity. A smoky mineral note adds lift and cut to the long, fruit-driven finish, which shows just a hint of silky tannins. 2018-2029.

92/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2014
A classic wine from this estate, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape has beautiful kirsch, roasted meat, ground pepper and assorted wild herbs and lavender aromatics, medium to full-bodied richness, and a tight, structured and nicely concentrated palate. Give it 2-3 years and enjoy bottles through 2024.

94/100 Punkte Vinous Apr 2015
Vivid ruby. Exotic, expansive aromas of fresh red and dark berries, incense, anise and garrigue. Deep, sappy black raspberry and boysenberry flavors show excellent clarity, with a hint of spicecake building in the glass. Nicely balances power and finesse and shows outstanding vivacity. A smoky mineral note adds lift and cut to the long, fruit-driven finish, which shows just a hint of silky tannins. 2018-2029.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2014
One of my favorite wines, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvee Réservée is a classic. Beautiful on the nose, with notions of ground pepper, wild herbs, minerality and smoked plum and dark fruit, it#s medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated and has plenty of tannin that comes through on the finish. Similar in style to a lighter-weight 2010, drink this beauty anytime over the coming 12-15 years.

93/100 Punkte Vinous April 2015
Opaque ruby. Heady aromas of black and blue fruits, potpourri and Indian spices, with a smoky element emerging with air. Taut and sharply focused on entry, then fleshier and broader in the mid-palate, offering vibrant boysenberry and black raspberry flavors with hints of candied violet, smoked meat and licorice. Finishes spicy and long, with repeating florality and slow-building tannins. 2018 - 2030.

94/100 Punkte Robert Parker Oct 2014
One of my favorite wines, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvee Réservée is a classic. Beautiful on the nose, with notions of ground pepper, wild herbs, minerality and smoked plum and dark fruit, it#s medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated and has plenty of tannin that comes through on the finish. Similar in style to a lighter-weight 2010, drink this beauty anytime over the coming 12-15 years.

93/100 Punkte Vinous April 2015
Opaque ruby. Heady aromas of black and blue fruits, potpourri and Indian spices, with a smoky element emerging with air. Taut and sharply focused on entry, then fleshier and broader in the mid-palate, offering vibrant boysenberry and black raspberry flavors with hints of candied violet, smoked meat and licorice. Finishes spicy and long, with repeating florality and slow-building tannins. 2018 - 2030.

92/100 Punkte Vinous, Apr 2016
Vivid ruby. Highly perfumed, smoke- and mineral-tinged dark berry aromas are complemented by a suave floral element and a suggestion of peppery spices. Fleshy, sweet and broad, offering intense black raspberry and boysenberry flavors and lavender pastille and spicecake flourishes. Develops more weight with air and finishes smooth, broad and very long, with fine-grained tannins lending shape.

92/100 Punkte Vinous, Apr 2016
Vivid ruby. Highly perfumed, smoke- and mineral-tinged dark berry aromas are complemented by a suave floral element and a suggestion of peppery spices. Fleshy, sweet and broad, offering intense black raspberry and boysenberry flavors and lavender pastille and spicecake flourishes. Develops more weight with air and finishes smooth, broad and very long, with fine-grained tannins lending shape.

92/100 Punkte Vinous, Apr 2016
Vivid ruby. Highly perfumed, smoke- and mineral-tinged dark berry aromas are complemented by a suave floral element and a suggestion of peppery spices. Fleshy, sweet and broad, offering intense black raspberry and boysenberry flavors and lavender pastille and spicecake flourishes. Develops more weight with air and finishes smooth, broad and very long, with fine-grained tannins lending shape.

93/100 Punkte Vinous Apr 2016
Deep ruby. Potent aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice pastille, woodsmoke, game and garrigue, plus a peppery nuance that adds spiciness and lift. Round and fleshy on the palate, offering intense blackberry and bitter cherry flavors that become livelier and sweeter with air. The very long, energetic, sharply focused finish features fine-grained tannins and subtle, lingering notes of dark berries and smoked meat.