2010 Billaud-Simon Chablis "Mont de Milieu Vieilles Vignes" 1er Cru (Pre-Arrival)

SKU #1118441 94 points Allen Meadows - Burghound

Not surprisingly this is aromatically similar to the regular cuvée but here there is an evident touch of wood along with a more pronounced emphasis on floral nuances. By contrast, the intensity, size, weight and power of the flavors all go up a notch and there is an impressive amount of old vines extract that buffers the firm acid spine on the explosively long, saline-infused and bone dry finish. This is superb. (9/ 2012)

94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Billaud-Simon’s 2010 Chablis Mont de Milieu Vieilles Vignes is dazzling. Juicy peaches, nectarines and a host of yellow stone fruits emerge from the glass. There is an exotic, intensely perfumed quality to the Vieilles Vignes that is striking. Floral, spiced notes develop over time, adding to the wine’s impeccable balance. The Vieilles Vignes spent 18 months in a combination of 60% steel and 40% oak. This is a bit of a ‘Cote de Beaune’ style, but it works. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. (8/ 2012)

90 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

(40% of this wine was aged in new oak, of which about one-fifth was new; bottled in May of 2012, just a couple weeks prior to my visit, along with the estate's grand crus): Tangy ripe peach and nectarine aromas are complicated but not overwhelmed by spicy oak. Supple and broad if not particularly sweet or expressive today. Much more thickness and structure here than the basic Mont de Milieu bottling. Finishes smooth and harmonious. (6/ 2012)