2021 Sylvain Cathiard Bourgogne Aligoté

Sylvain Cathiard is a 10-acre estate in Romanee-Saint-Vivant, in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. Sylvain himself is a third-generation Burgundian winemaker who set up his own domaine nearly 20 years ago before returning to run the family’s domaine after his father’s retirement. He now works with his son Sebastian. Their flagship wines are Vosne-Romanee Premier Crus Les Malconsorts, En Orveau, Les Reignots and Les Suchots, and Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Crus Aux Thorey and Les Murgers. Cathiard and his wines are beloved by many wine writers, including Clive Coates, who says “there is a touch of genius here in the winemaking, resulting in bottles of exceptional purity and fragrance: Pinot Noir at its most elegant.”

Burgundy in eastern France is, if not the most famous and storied wine region in the world, certainly one of the top two or three. Its winemaking history dates from the Roman era, and its relatively small size and reputation for outstanding wines means that the best wines of Burgundy are generally among the world’s most prized – and costly – wines. At about 110,000 vineyards acres, Burgundy is only 40% as big as Bordeaux, and its system of dividing up vineyards into small, family-owned parcels makes understanding the wines of Burgundy a life-long pursuit for Burgundy enthusiasts. The three main grapes of Burgundy are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay. Burgundy is a long, narrow, north-south running region consisting of five main areas. They are Chablis in the north, Côte D’Or, Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais, which is just above the Rhone Valley. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown throughout most of Burgundy but Gamay is grown primarily in Beaujolais. The appellation system and rules about labeling can be confusing and the system classifies regions, villages and even individual vineyards. Grand Cru is the most prestigious appellation category, followed by Premier Cru and many village and regional appellations.