Sylvain Cathiard Vosne Romanee 1er En Orveaux 2017

Sylvain Cathiard Vosne Romanee 1er En Orveaux 2017

The joy of this emanates from the ancient, 75 year+, vines from a great strain of pinot. Dense black centre with purple rim. Red and black fruit swells across the palate, a continuity of the nose, a little more density than some. Just a touch of a wood at the back, but exceptionally persistent and very pure fruit. Indeed the aftertaste refuses to die away. Bravo. 94-97pts - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy

The 2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru En Orveaux delivers a superb bouquet of cassis, wild damson, grilled squab, sweet soil tones, licorice and exotic spices. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and concentrated, with a lavish core of old vine fruit, succulent acids, and fine-grained structuring tannins, concluding with a long and dramatic finish. This cuvée, from seventy-year-old vines, is the insiders' choice for chez Cathiard this year. Sébastien Cathiard has produced some of the wines of the 2017 vintage, a stunning portfolio that vindicates his decision to harvest late this year. The rudiments of the 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 barrel from some 15-18 months. The impact of new oak, once a defining feature of the Cathiard style, is now significantly less obtrusive, a thoroughly positive evolution that's been in evidence over the last few vintages and which seems to have been consummated with a beautifully integrated range of 2017s. Unfortunately, the market has already taken notice, and these wines are scarce and expensive. What's more, the quality Cathiard has achieved with this vintage will only add fuel to the fire. 92-94 Points - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate