Barrels designed to optimise wine ageing

All our barrels are designed in collaboration with winemakers to guarantee consistent quality for each wine vintage.

Manufacturing the barrel

Painstaking work to enhance aromas.

The cooperage is always investing in new production tools and the latest technology to be at the cutting-edge of excellence.

This means equipping ourselves with the best industrial machines whilst retaining our artisan soul.

The origin of the wood, seasoning time, toasting level…these are all different nuances Tonnellerie Billon can provide to create richness of flavour and aroma: the quintessence of wine.

Selecting the variety of oak

Tonnellerie Billon carefully selects its wood, working closely with the stave mills.

Tonnellerie Billon carefully selects its wood, working closely with the stave mills to provide winemakers, cellar-masters and oenologists the best oak varieties from the best forests ::

Common oak (Quercus robur)
Sessile oak (Quercus petraea)

We offer a range of different varieties with 90% French oak and 10% foreign oak :

Oak from the forests in Allier, Les Vosges, Nièvre, Burgundy, Jura and the Centre of France
Oak from Eastern Europe and American oak

Processing the wood

All our staves are naturally seasoned outdoors for a minimum of 24 months.

All our wood is naturally seasoned outdoors, for a minimum of 24 months. Tonnellerie Billon has a stave seasoning area covering 2 hectares.

This natural seasoning is to:

reduce the water content of the wood to between 14 and 15%,
release the extractable components that could damage the wine,
increase the level of aromatic precursors,
ensure that the future barrel will be watertight.

Customised barrel-toasting

to give the winemaker consistent quality for his wines

We follow oenological research on the reaction between wine and oak. We understand the essential importance of toasting in the manufacturing process and its role on the aromatic qualities of the wine.

Toasting the barrel permanently curves the staves and develops a wide range of aromas. Aromatic potential and types of toasting are specific to each oak variety.

Under the combined action of fire and water, the oak’s components transform to reveal olfactory elements.

Together, we can define the best combination of wine and wood.

The origin of the oak and the toasting level are discussed and a special tasting session is organised to define the best wine and wood combination.

Wood from the forests of Les Vosges and Cîteaux, with fine or medium grain, with a quick or longer toasting…there is a wide variety of barrels, each with their own personality.

To best match the barrel to his wines, the winemaker must understand each of his wines’ personalities because some combinations can go wrong.