SYLVAIN PATAILLE, CÔTE DE NUITS, AOC MARSANNAY, AOC BOURGOGNE

Sylvain Pataille begun his adventure with wine early on in life, while helping his grandfather tending to a small plot of vines, near their family home in Marsannay, Côte de Nuits. In 1999 he started his own project, with only one hectare of vines. He now farms 15 hectares, mainly within AOC Marsannay and some AOC Bourgogne near Chenove. Highly regarded as a winemaker, Sylvain could easily make wines in one of the more prominent Burgundian appellations. Instead, he proudly says: “Marsannay is enough for me (...) I know a lot about Gevrey Chambertin, but this is my village”.
Sylvain’s great passion remains Aligoté, of which he favours the rare, low yielding clone - aligoté dorée. Although (unusually for this part of Côte d’Or) Sylvain makes quite few outstanding white wines, his Marsannay Rouge and Bourgogne Rouge are among the best value reds in Burgundy.

 NEW  DOMAINE ANTOINE LIENHARDT, COMBLANCHIEN

In 2011 Antoine Lienhardt took over the 4.2 hectares of family vineyards that had been in long-term lease since his grandfather’s retirement in 1992. Antoine

had previously cut his teeth working for four years at Domaine Amiot-Servelle in Chambolle-Musigny, with shorter stints in Chablis and in South Africa. Gifted with family vines and not encumbered by the pressures of tradition and heritage, Antoine set out to be the first in his family to make wine.

“At the heart of domaine’s holdings are three lieux-dits in Comblanchien planted in the 1960s by his grandfather. The main differences between the parcels are the rockier top soils in Les Essards and greater clay content of those in Les Plantes. As in the rest of Burgundy, small variations make for distinctive flavour profiles: Les Plantes Aux Bois is more generous, a touch broader and more lush; Les Essards - more classic in style, is nervier, taut and more pungently mineral and cool-toned. Both have lively acidity, energetic minerality and a compelling tension between the pure Pinot fruit and savoury earthiness. The “Aux Vignottes”, by contrast, is more refined, but is also endowed with a structure and minerality that is somewhat reminiscent of it’s more noble northerly neighbour (Nuit Saint Georges)! There is a drive and energy in these wines that command your attention immediately. Decant if enjoying now 

or cellar for 5-10 years to allow for further knitting of the structural elements. These are delicious and terroir-specific Burgundies to grace the table. Bravo to Antoine Liendhardt”... John McIlwain MW

In addition, Lienhardt makes some very impressive Gamay, Aligoté, Bourgogne Blanc and NSTG. He is now experimenting with amphora (terracotta) and egg-shaped tanks both in concrete and ceramic. The resulting wines are, as you might guess, different, interesting and individual. Invariably Lienhardt will blend the results and the results are unfailingly impressive. Though 2021 is a comparatively light vintage (in terms of extract – due to growing conditions), the fruit in these wines is simply delicious.

 NEW  DOMAINE ROBERT CHEVILLON, NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES

For most wine writers, critics, consumers, Domaine Chevillon is THE textbook reference for the appellation. The explanation is twofold. Chevillon frères make premier cru parcels of NSTG that are uniquely different. Vintage character never blurs typicity at this address. They are notably individual and Chevillon’s epitomise all that is “Chaignots” or “Pruliers”, or “Cailles” or “Vaucrains” etc.

The second explanation is the unequalled quality. While standards in general have vastly improved in Burgundy in the past 15 years, Bertrand and Denis unfailingly achieve the highest possible standards for their appellation. This is easy to say of course. The proof though is surely in the wines. Taste any wine in any of the past twenty odd vintages to get the gist. Not just do they age superbly, when mature they are exactly as tasted from barrel, though now with tertiary aromas and perhaps more wood floor flavours of game and earth, that in their youth is not yet revealed.

The domain covers an area of 13 hectares of vines, including eight 1er Crus of Nuits. Ninety per-cent of the domaine’s produce is exported – which averages 70,000 bottles per year – Bertrand Chevillon says that “there is no real secret, as the market is very simple – if your wines have a good quality then people come back!”.

 NEW  DOMAINE ROBERT SIRUGUE,  VOSNE-ROMANEE

Based in Vosne-Romanée, Domaine Robert Sirugue is a family-run estate, medium in size and with a growing reputation. Our first visit to this domaine was in 1987 – 33 years ago. Then it was the man himself, Robert. Now in his early eighties he is retired. Today it is grandson Arnaud, a fifth generation Sirugue, that makes the wine. Arnaud is a son of Marie-France (Robert's daughter) and Jean-Louis.

Domaine Sirugue may not rank in the very top tier of Vosne vignerons, though it received excellent reviews from the wine critics 20-30 years ago. The domaine unquestionably lost some momentum over the years. When Marie-France and Jean- Louis Sirugue took over in 2007, they began to improve quality and in recent vintages have shown that there is a fine potential here. The quality is improving year after year and with the 2015s the Sirugue family have re-established the Domaines position. Hence my return. Burgundy is all about knowledge and timing.

 NEW  DOMAINE ANNE GROS, 
VOSNE-ROMANEE

Small holding of generic to grand cru wines that commands an international following. Gros is a perfectionist, producing wines which are aromatic, refined & seductive. There is a minerality here that reflects the soils & the tannins are invariably suede-like. The wines are hand-crafted & even the humble generic offerings of Hautes Cotes and Bourgogne Pinot Noir are quite special.

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Gros is a leading source for fine Burgundy and as such is regarded one of Burgundy’s finest ambassadors. She achieves a quality and consistency that singles her out as one of the top five (5) domaines in all of Burgundy. It is not wonder that Domaine Anne Gros is one of the most sought-after addresses in all of Burgundy. Small production; impeccable standards.

 NEW  DOMAINE CHRISTIAN SERAFIN, GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN

The reserved and considered son of a Polish immigrant Christian Sérafin holds a stunning suite of fabulous vineyards which produce intense and structured Côte de Nuits reds. The fruit concentration from low yields and a propensity to harvest late is such that the wines easily handle the oak regime, which integrate seamlessly after 3-5 years. The Sérafin wines have excellent structure, firmly supported by powerful tannin and acid levels, thus having the capacity to age superbly if cellared correctly. The vineyards are managed biologically with no regular application of systemic herbicides or pesticides (preferring to keep options open depending on climatic challenges etc). The vinification is both simple and natural with no artificial yeasts or enzymes, done in barrique. They are not racked until they are homogenized prior to bottling, nor are they fined or filtered.

Today the wines are made by Sérafin’s niece Fréderique and the domaine is run by his daughter Karine. The ladies have already stamped their imprimatur with a very tangible shift to producing refined wines. There is a definite reduction in extraction and delightful lighter touch in these very classy 2020’s. In fact, they are so well balanced that it is possible that they will drink young as well as old. Frédérique said she felt the 2020 vintage had the freshness and elegance of 2001, but with a bit more density. She introduced us to a lovely set of richly concentrated wines which perfectly combine the purity of the vintage, its bright vibrant fruit and sweet, compelling toasted flavours.

For a “close up” view of the domaine and cultivation techniques and goals, as explained by Karine & Frédérique, copy and paste the following link into your browser / Youtube – just look at the magnificent colour of the grapes on the “table de triage” (sorting table)!