Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Sébastien Cathiard, 23 November 2022.
Domaine Sylvain Cathiard
20 Rue de la Goillotte
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 62 36 01
More reports for Domaine Sylvain Cathiard
Sébastien on 2023:
“Yes, I’m very happy with 2023. That’s two good vintages in a row. We had a lot more triage to do in 2023 but we had enough grapes for that, so no problem.”
Sébastien on 2022:
“In 2022 we have 16 reds and a white – that’s a bit more than in 2021! We had close to double the volume of 2021 – but still not too much! For the moment, just the aligoté has been bottled – in April, the same time as we did the 2021 reds. There can be no doubt that it was a hot vintage but the wines have nothing to do with vintages like 2009 or 2020. Hot weather but only with a maximum of 13.6° here, and mainly the wines were much lower – they don’t show like those of hot vintages – by that I mean the vintage hasn’t marked the climats in 22, the differences are very visible which you don’t tend to find in hot extra-ripe vintages..”
The wines…
That’s a finme range of 2022s from Sébastien. Not all the wines are at the same stage of development today, but there are great wines at all levels !!
2022 Bourgogne Aligoté
Now they have 2 hectares the largest part is in the Hautes Cotes – 1940s vines – but there’s also a small parcel next to the domaine too.
Starting a hint yeasty the air bringing more crisp and attractive aromatics. There’s a certain richness to this wine but with a fine vibration of freshness/energy too. Nothing austere – lovely wine!
Les Reds:
Vines next to the domaine – co-planted pinot/gamay – just 0.1 ha.
Hmm – a pretty and seemingly silky red nose – nice. Easy but with good scale – again a little generosity and even some creamy depth to this delicious finish – that’s a great CB!
2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
2 parcels; one in Vosne the other in Flagey: The historic parcel of the domaine – and the other parcel in Croix Blanche that sits between Vosne and Nuits
A more airy perfume – very attractive width. A little structure to this fine shape – again a hint of creamy depth but this time with a more mineral structure/finish – delicious here.
2022 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
From Villier la Faye – sencond vintage but largest cuvée of the the domaine with 2.5 ha.
Higher toned but with a tiny reduction too. Hmm – direct, wiry, faintly reductive but pretty in the finish – this needs more time but none of the reds will be bottled before next spring so it has time to come around.
2022 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Aux Chaumes
4th vintage for this and the following.
A more correct and ‘ready’ nose – there’s very fine red berry fruit and some faint spice. Intense, there are fine flavours, again finishing with the creamy depth – obviously the barrel – but very delicious too.
The poorest soil and most limestone of any of these – the first part with the deepest soil. The middle part, unsurprisingly, with an intermediate soil.
Beautiful width of clean, pure red fruit. Great structure, I love the way the flavour hangs from this architectural shape. Fine finishing intensity – that’s a simply great Bourgogne!
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin
One parcel, in Champs Francs but not on the label. Like the latter 2 Hautes Côtes this already in its 4th vintage here – on fermage here.
Not quite as wide an aroma but here with more depth. Taut, direct, just a faint extra padding vs the Huguettes. The finish is sneakily longer – and very delicious – but overall I might prefer to buy the Huguettes today!
2022 Nuits St.Georges
Extra depth to these aromas and just a twist of darker-red fruit. The structure is broader and more visible but never hard – the tannin bringing a touch of velour to the middle flavours. A super finish that holds very impressively well. Super villages!
2022 Vosne-Romanée
From 5 parcels, 4 lieu dits, about one-third new oak – here – the historic wine of the domaine – no changes here.
Yes – that’s a great nose – vibrant, spicy-red but still of pure fruit. Larger scale, just a hint less sweet but generously shaped wine. Then really broad finishing – and long – some cherry-stone style to this persistent finish – Lovely wine!
2022 Chambolle-Musigny Les Clos de l’Orme
Vllages wine here
That’s got a fine very attractive depth of aroma. Rounder but beautifully structured – not so generous as the Vosne – more self-contained – but a beautiful villages – simply excellent wine. Great finishing!
2022 Nuits St.Georges 1er Aux Thorey
Larger and there’s a more airy scale to this lovely nose. Extra intensity and concentration – I love this energy – a wine for keeping longer, that’s sure but sooo delicious!
A deeper width of aroma here – faintly spiced like a Vosne. Direct and silky wine but with intensity and power – a great Nuits – bravo!
2022 Vosne-Romanée 1er Aux Reignots
The youngest vines of Sébastian’s 1ers in Vosne
Hmm – that’s a super nose – there’s depth and complexity – more oak for sure but who cares! Hmm, creamy from the barrel but a wine of presence – a texture of velour and plenty of concentration. I wouldn’t hesitate to wait 5-8 years for this as the barrel is very clear today but the finish is really great!
2022 Vosne-Romanée 1er En Orveaux
More airy, pretty red fruit on display here. Much more open, more silkily textured too – slowly hint of velour is apparent as some fine-grained tannin rises to the surface of recognition. More clean cut and open in this finish – less cushioned but not less long – more mineral in this chalky textured finish.
Just about 10 rows away from and the same height as, Echezeaux (CSD)
Darker red fruit of super purity – that’s a beauty! In the mouth it’s direct, sinuous wine with wiry muscle – it’s almost a dancer – really a super 1er cru – even in the context of Vosne!!
1972 and 1973 in two plantations.
Broad aromas – dark red fruit again but there’s more minerality to this width too. Mouth-filling, full, but not that generous – there’s just more! The finish is outstanding – what a finish – one to embarrass many grand crus – it just gets better and better – bravo!
Not the same impact as the last wine but more airy and MUCH more complex – this is beguiling. Actually, the flavours are quite direct, mineral and more than hinting of fine-boned structure – strength without weight – porcelain – a haunting, almost ever-present finish – the finesse of grand vin – bravo !!
And for the road:
Ripe red fruit, not very old – a little direct, plenty of structural tannin. It turns out that this is older than you expect – this is a 2016 Vosne – with a strong but delicious finish.
Some colour development and clearly some aromatic development too. Still a direct wine, with a growing width and becoming more juicy. I guess 2012 or 2014 and a 1er cru – it’s a 2014 1er cru and it’s Nuits Murgers.