Billaud/Samuel Chablis 1er cru Les Fourneaux 2018

91-94 points Jasper Morris, MW: "Clear pale colour, a pure fresh chalky nose, very much white fruit. Then a surprising intensity leaps out behind, a lovely coating of velvet fruit, on a perfectly steely base. This less well known 1er cru is looking very good this year. It has retained its tension which Samuel Billaud thinks is the plus point for the right bank this year. (May 2019)"

92 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "The 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Fourneaux has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with notes of citrus oil, fresh peach, beeswax and subtle hints of oyster shell. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, it's bright and precise, with a nicely concentrated core of fruit, racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. Drink: 2021-2038. (Jul 2020)"

92 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2018 Chablis Les Fourneaux 1er Cru comes from 1.25ha of 35-year-old vines and sees 12–18 months on the fine lees. It has a rich, extravagant bouquet of dried honey, cumin, fern and orange pith aromas. The palate is well balanced with a malic opening, dovetailing into a more typical 2018 midpalate, quite spicy with a detailed and linear finish. Good build here. A Fourneaux that finishes on a high note. Drink: 2021-2032. (Sep 2020)"

92 points Tim Atkin, MW.

90+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2018 Chablis 'les Fourneaux' from Domaine Samuel Billaud has a fine girdle of acidity for the vintage and I like the backend tension on this wine. The bouquet offers up a youthful blend of pear, apple, a bit of lemon peel, straw, dried flowers, a hint of oak and a good base of chalky soil tones. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and still fairly primary in personality, with a lovely core, good mineral undertow and grip and a long, zesty finish. There is good complexity here, but the wine is a bit buttoned up behind its youthful structure right now and really deserves a year or two in the cellar to settle in and blossom. All of the constituent components are here for a lovely bottle, but show it just a bit of patience! 2022-2040. (Jul/Aug 2020)"