2023 Sylvain Pataille - Marsannay (750ml) [PRE ARRIVAL]

Sylvain Pataille didn't come from a winemaking dynasty; his father drove a bus, and his family had stopped growing grapes generations earlier, in the financial hardship following the First World War. Still, Sylvain spent his childhood afternoons in the vines with his grandfather and a family friend, and by fourteen he had enrolled in viticultural college in Beaune before completing his studies in Bordeaux. He started his own domaine in 1999 with just a single hectare, funding its growth for years by working as a consulting enologist for as many as twenty of Burgundy's top estates, including Domaine Roumier and Château de la Tour. Today Sylvain and his wife, Maryse, farm around seventeen hectares entirely within Marsannay, organically certified since 2008 and worked biodynamically, and his advocacy has helped push the village toward long-overdue premier cru recognition.

This village-level Marsannay blends parcels of old vines averaging thirty to fifty years, fermented with a meaningful share of whole clusters and using only indigenous yeasts. The wine ages roughly a year in a mix of used barrels of varying age, followed by several months resting in tank, with little to no sulfur added beyond a touch at bottling.

The wine shows red cherry, raspberry, and violet, lifted by a peppery note from the stems. The palate is medium-bodied, with granular tannins, lively acidity, and a savory finish touched by menthol. Approachable young yet capable of aging, it pairs beautifully with roast duck, coq au vin, or mushroom risotto.