Domaine Sylvain Pataille

It’s hard to know how best to describe the enigma that is Sylvain Pataille. Maverick? Maybe. Genius? Possibly. Passionate? Undoubtedly. Unique? Surely. Driven? Obviously. All such descriptions apply, although used in isolation they don’t really get to the bones of who and how he is. There is little recent history in his family that would hint at his future métier; his parents and grandparents were not vignerons. There were vineyards in his family once, but they had all but disappeared between the two World Wars.

He took himself off to wine school at a young age and quickly became a trained oenologist, despite his tender years. He then had to begin piecing together a domaine that would challenge his skills and excite his curiosity. He began with a single hectare at the end of the 1990s and has since then built it up to 18, which is probably enough to allow him to maintain an enviable quality of wine and still have a life away from his beloved vineyards. In fact, he would likely accept that his vineyards are what really inspires him and where his innate talents truly lie. As the old adage goes, you can’t make great wines from bad grapes!

Most of his vineyards are focused on the three main varietals of Burgundy, although he clearly has a love affair with the resurgent grape variety that is Aligoté, from which he produces many different cuvées from various disparate plots. He is thus very well placed to reap the rewards of Aligoté’s finest ever vintage. Location wise, much of what he farms is very local, being in his much-loved home village of Marsannay, just north of Fixin. He farms a mix of vineyards he owns, rents or has contracts with to buy the fruit, but he is very particular about the parcels he works with, and is lucky enough to have a huge proportion of not just old vines but very old vines.

In terms of vinification, he likes to keep sulphur levels as low as possible and new oak to a minimum. He uses quite a lot of whole-bunch where he feels it enhances the wine and keeps extraction light. Most wines go through a second winter of élevage, with wines spending close to two years ageing before bottling. He has become a hugely respected winemaker over the past 20 years, with a never-increasing and loyal following who have made him and his wine somewhat cultish, in a good way!