The 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu is another taut, structured wine that had only recently been bottled when I tasted it. Unwinding in the glass with notes of orange oil, oyster shell, beeswax, buttery pastry and white flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and precise, with a tightly wound core and a long, saline finish.

The 2019 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru initially feels a little creamy and lactic on the nose. That recedes and is replaced by wild peach traces emerging with time in the glass, not so far from a Gewurztraminer. I would have liked more typicité, but the aromatics are very engaging. The palate is well balanced with a tensile entry, harmonious with satisfying sapidity. There's a bit of muscle on the finish with pleasing brightness and a long tail on aftertaste. Fine, but not Billaud firing on all cylinders. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.