2022 Marsannay Le Chapitre, 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. 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. This Marsannay Le Chapitre is concentrated, with notes of black cherry, dark raspberries, a hint of pepper and liquorice. Nicely textured tannins and impressive length.