Louis Billard
Burgundy
"Since I was very young, I have been fascinated by the art of French gastronomy. For me, wine is an essential element of a good meal and represents sharing."
Throughout our respective journeys, we meet people with whom we connect on a personal and professional level, but rare is it where both of those coincide. So it was that when meeting Louis Billard, our connection was more profound than most. He spoke and thought of wine as not only something to be stockpiled in a cellar or bragged about, but as a vital component to a meal, and to shared moments with good friends.
Now, this is to be put into context; Louis grew up running around the small yet stellar cellars of Domaine Billard Pere et Fils, now a 5th generation estate a stone's throw from Meursault; it was there where he learned how important the collective enjoyment of the wines among friends and family was. In that same vein, Louis sought to further his own studies, inspired to take the lessons if his youth to an even greater level.
"My experience for two years at the Romanée-Conti estate was a great source of experience and motivation for me. Aubert de Villaine inspired me a lot - he is a legend to me and I exchanged a lot and learned alongside him. He is a very humble and fascinating person."
One lesson Louis took from his youth was to learn from the very best; it's safe to say he took that to heart. Louis spent both the 2018 and 2019 vintages at the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, forming the basis from which he would yield his own winemaking methods. In the spirit of diversification, Louis spent the 2020 vintage alongside Eric Roumier at Chambolle-Musigny's Domaine G. Roumier; that was followed by spending 2021 in South Africa at Newton Johnson, and 2022 at By Farr in Australia. In other words, he's learned from the absolute greatest in 3 different continents.
"I'm still young and humble; my first idea is to have fun during the winemaking; I want to try a lot of things every year, and have my own experiences!"
With the 2022s soon landing on our shores, Louis proudly releases his first vintage under his own label, producing his own wines from the cellars he for so long called home. He's worked with top growers across several appellations, both in the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits, looking for the fruit and wines that inspire him, including several vineyards his family long worked with.
"This new project is like a dream for me - it's so beautiful," Louis humbly admits, giddy at the thought of the wide palate he gets to create from each year. "I would like try to made fine and delicate wines and respect the style of the different terroirs. I'm quite proud of the heritage around wine in Burgundy, and love the notion of sharing with family and friends; that's why I wanted to explore more in this profession. This is a consecration for me!
