Billaud/Samuel Chablis 1er cru Montée de Tonnerre 2018

95 points Tim Atkin, MW (Decanter): "This hails from two parcels - one in Chapelots, the other in Montée de Tonnerre itself - and sees 20% wood ageing, in line with Samuel Billaud's policy of allowing the vineyard to express itself. Waxy, bready and savoury, with citrus fruit purity and commendable focus and freshness for the vintage. You'd never guess this came from a warm, south-facing site. Drinking Window: 2021-2028. (Jul 2019)"

93 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "Samuel Billaud’s bottling of Montée de Tonnerre is twenty-five percent barrel-fermented, with this quarter of the cuvée fermented in six hundred liter tonneaux. The 2018 vintage offers up beautiful precision and vibrancy in its aromatic constellation of lemon, apple, chalky minerality, white lilies, a touch of beeswax and a nice, gentle framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and pure, with a fine core of fruit, good soil inflection and bounce, a good girdle of acidity and a long, complex and very nicely balanced finish. This is already very tasty, but there is clearly another layer of hidden complexity here that will unfold if the wine is given some time in the cellar. 2020-2045. (Jul/Aug 2020)"

93 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2018 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru comes from a hectare of 45-year-old vines and was vinified in stainless steel vats and 450-liter barrels before aging for 18 months on the lees. It has a pretty nose of orange blossom, white peach and Japanese yuzu scents that are beautifully defined. The palate is very well balanced, with Granny Smith apples and pear on the entry, a vibrant thread of acidity, and quite a linear, taut finish that is perhaps more 2017 in style. Overall, this is a superb Montée de Tonnerre for those who like 'classic' Chablis. Drink: 2021-2035. (Sep 2020)"

92 points Jasper Morris, MW: "A fuller yellow and a rather oakier nose. Tight lean yet concentrated citrus, though the framework is on the bulkier side. More volume than persistence. Certainly there is something here for the future. DIAM 5 closure. Tasted: May 2022."

92 points and 'Sweet spot/Outstanding,' Allen Meadows (Burghound): "(from a .45 ha holding in both Montée de Tonnerre proper and Chapelot). A softly citrus-infused and agreeably fresh nose flashes notes of white flower, mineral reduction, tidal pool and quinine hints. The refined and moderately concentrated flavors possess evident minerality and a lovely sense of verve while displaying excellent length and very good depth on the finish where the only nit is a suggestion of warmth. This promising effort is a combination of finesse and punch and importantly, is much less obviously 2018 in style. Lovely. Drink: 2025+. (Oct 2021)"

92 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "The 2018 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre offers up aromas of crisp orchard fruit, honeycomb, pear and dried white flowers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, bright and incisive palate with a delicately textural attack and a tightly wound core. Still youthfully reserved, this vibrant wine will reward a little bottle age. Drink: 2022-2038. (Jul 2020)"

Bill Nanson (Burgundy Report): "2 parcels of 40 and 45-year-old vines: the top of Chapelots, other at the top of the triangle. Same elevage as Mont de Milieu. A little extra minerality in the depth of this aroma – more open above too. Like the last, much more the classic mineral style – this much wider. Clearly a bravo wine as there’s just a hint more fresh energy! (Jan 2020)"