2022 Sylvain Pataille - Bourgogne Rouge (750ml)

Sylvain Pataille is not from a winemaking family, but he enrolled in wine school in Beaune at fourteen and went on to become one of Burgundy's most sought-after consulting oenologists, advising more than a dozen Côte d'Or domaines. In 1999 he leased a single hectare in his home village of Marsannay and has since built that into an estate of roughly fifteen hectares, farmed organically since 2008 and biodynamically for over a decade, with replanting done through massale selection sourced from some of the region's finest vineyards.

This Bourgogne Rouge is drawn from about three hectares of fifty-year-old vines, among the oldest parcels in his portfolio, planted on varied soils across the appellation. The grapes are fermented with native yeasts and a small proportion of whole clusters, given roughly three weeks of gentle skin contact, then aged ten to twelve months in mostly neutral barrels with minimal sulfur added along the way.

The wine offers rose petal, violet, and a minty lift over red berries, orange zest, and cinnamon. The palate is precise and dynamic, with a crunchy texture, balanced tannins, and a mineral, complex finish. Try it with grilled salmon, a charcuterie spread, or roast chicken.