2005 Vosne-Romanée, Domaine Sylvain Cathiard, Burgundy

The village of Vosne-Romanée produces the region's most acclaimed and famous wines, all made entirely from the Pinot Noir grape. Despite the monopoly control of four of the six Grands Crus by Domane de la Romanée-Conti, the village has at least 40 growers sharing its vineyard area. The Grands Crus are Romanée-Conti, La Romanée, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-St Vivant, and La Grande Rue: La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru The vines, otherwise untouched since pre-Phylloxera days, were replanted in 1947-48, with the first new vintage being made in 1952. The former Cros des Cloux vineyard was renamed Romanée in the 17th century, with Conti being added after it was purchased by the Prince de Condé (or Conti) in 1760. He wanted the very best and kept it only for his own use and that of his immediate circle. Wine writers and critics across the centuries have singled out La Romanée-Conti as Burgundy’s greatest vineyard.

Richebourg Grand Cru Just under half the vineyard (3.51 hectares out of 8.03) belongs to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the rest is shared among nine other growers, counting such Burgundian heavyweight names as Richebourg, Domaine Leroy, branches of the Gros family and Domaine Méo-Camuzet. This is always a robust wine, deeper in colour than the Romanée St Vivant but not necessarily as elegant. La Tâche Grand Cru The domaine purchased most of the 6.06 hectares of La Tâche in 1933, completing the vineyards by exchanging small plots in Les Gaudichots. It stretches from the top to the bottom of the mid-slope band containing the Grands Crus, thus covering a complexity of terroirs. It is a more flamboyant wine than La Romanée-Conti but needs a minimum of 10 years for all its aspects, including the tannins, to integrate. Romanée St Vivant Grand Cru Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's holding covers 5.28 hectares in one single block out of the appellation's nine hectares. This formerly belonged to the Marey-Monge family but was farmed and made by the domaine from 1966, and purchased by it in 1988. It is a beautifully refined, stylish wine, perhaps having more in common with La Romanée-Conti itself than the more rugged Richebourg. Domaine Leroy and Louis Latour's Domaine de Corton Grancey are the next largest owners. La Grande Rue Grand Cru The 1.4 hectares of La Grande Rue are located between La Tâche and La Romanée-Conti Grands Crus, originally classified as Premier Cru but later upgraded. The vineyard is a monopoly of Domaine Lamarche.

Sylvain Cathiard’s grandfather, a foundling from Savoie, came to Burgundy and found work with Domaine de la Romanée Conti (DRC) and Lamarche, subsequently buying a few parcels of vineyards for himself. His son André Cathiard began to bottle some of the crop. In due course Sylvain began work with his father but then separated to start his own small domaine, until on his father’s retirement in 1995, Sylvain could take back the family vineyards on a renting agreement. He has now been joined by his son Sébastien, and a spacious new cellar is currently under construction. The Cathiards have 5.5 hectares of vineyards in Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-St-Georges and Chambolle-Musigny, including tiny holdings in Clos de Vougeot and Romanée-St-Vivant. A recent addition (from 2006) to the range is the Nuits-St-Georges Aux Thorey. This is not a complicated domaine: the vines are looked after meticulously with the fruit being sorted on a table de tri and destalked. After fermentation the wines go into barrel, with 50 per cent new oak for the village wines and 100 per cent for premier cru and above. Most of the barrels come from one cooper, Rémond, albeit with the wood sourced from different forests. The wines in their youth have an exceptional energy and purity of fruit. Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.