2012 - Vosne-Romanee, Sylvain Cathiard

The 2012 Vosne-Romane´e is beautifully lifted and precise in the glass. Sweet red berries, rose petals, mint and spices are some of the many notes that inform this drop-dead gorgeous, racy village-level Vosne. There is a sense of purity and precision in the 2012 that is impossible to miss. What a pretty wine this is.

The 2012 Vosne-Romanee Village comes from four parcels, two in “Champs Goudins” and two others in “Les Chalandins”. It has a very refined bouquet with lifted wild strawberry, redcurrant and minerals that frankly punching the same weight as a premier cru. The palate is showing a bit of wood at the moment but there is plenty of substance here with a citric freshness on the finish. There is a bit of bravado about this village cru. I like it. This publication is not faultless, though we all strive to be so. But I must confess that I was flabbergasted when I searched the Wine Advocate database to find no reviews for Sylvain Cathiard’s wines since the mid-noughties. The reason is that here in the UK, Cathiard’s reputation has been ascendant for over a decade and the name is presently revered as one of the top exponents of Vosne-Romanee. The domaine was established in the 1930s when their fruit was sold to local negoce as was common back in those days. According to Clive Coates, Alfred Cathiard moved to Burgundy in 1901 and worked at Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and yes, in case you were wondering, the family is distantly related to the Cathiard’s chez Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte. Sylvain’s father Andre ran the estate from 1969 until 1985, his son becoming more involved in the latter years. He began to rent his vines from his family supplemented by fermage agreements, before taking over his father’s own vines when Andre retired in 1995. The wines during the early 1990s were a little rustic, but throughout that decade Sylvain honed his style, producing refined, intense, terroir-driven wines that used healthy percentages of quality new oak to lend them a modern sheen, not unlike say Lalou Bize-Leroy nearby. This is when I myself became acquainted with the name, courtesy of my girlfriend (now wife) who was working for one of his UK distributors, Berry Brothers & Rudd. Back in the late 1990s, you could pick up one of his premier crus for around twenty quid and that was befor

Two-thirds new oak. Four parcels in two lieux-dits, not the best placed: Chanondins, Champs Goudins. Just below La Colombière by Anne Gros’ cuverie. Sweeter than many Vosnes. The freshness comes on the palate. Some nerve and muscle there. Fresh finish. Lots of pleasure. Needs a little while. (JR)