Sylvain Cathiard Bourgogne Rouge AC – 2018

“Aromas of wild berries, plums, rich soil tones and spices introduce the 2018 Bourgogne Rouge, a medium to full-bodied, textural wine built around powdery tannins and succulent acids. It’s a lovely wine that is being raised entirely in used barrels.

Sébastien Cathiard began his harvest on September 8 and concluded it three days later. Alcohols, he tells me, range between 12.8% and 13.5%, while pHs are healthy at between 3.45 and 3.55. The resulting wines are simply superb: deep and muscular but exquisitely refined, stylish without begin stylized, these are red Burgundies that confirm Cathiard’s status as one of the Côte de Nuits most serious young vignerons. As I reported last year, the rudiments of the contemporary Cathiard approach are simple: meticulous viticulture—though not, I should add, especially low yields—and careful sorting, followed by complete destemming, macerations of 20-30 days and maturation in barrels, principally from Tonnellerie Rémond, from some 15-18 months. The big development at this address will make its presence felt next year, for in 2019, Sébastien Cathiard expanded the domaine from 4.6 hectares to fully 8.35 hectares. That new hectarage includes some Gevrey-Chambertin but is predominantly located in the Hautes-Côtes. So, a thirsty world will be delighted to know that there will be some more-affordable wines from this sought-after address in the near future. Cathiard told me that the vines have been immaculately tended hitherto, so there was very little work to do to bring the farming up to his high standards.” 87-89pts The Wine Advocate