Domaine Sylvain Cathiard et Fils
The Domaine traces its humble origins to Sylvain Cathiard’s grandfather in the 1930s. Since then, its vineyard has seen many changes with the passing of each generation.
Sylvain himself joined his family of Vignerons in the mid-1980s and Domaine Sylvain Cathiard et Fils as we know it today, is the result of the joint effort between Sylvain and his son, Sebastian.
The Domaine holds a substantial area of vines spread of 11 plots of land including a small parcel in the renowned Romanee St Vivant. The vineyards are not certified organic but he works them without herbicides or pesticides. Just a little trivia, the Cathiards holds the smallest plot of land in the Romanee St Vivant.
The Domaine located in Burgundy is produced using a thin-skinned grape called the Pinot Noir. It is dubbed as one of the most important and oldest form of the Pinot Family that is susceptible to mutations. Pinot noir wines in Burgundy are rarely blended with other grape variety with the exception of the ‘Bourgogne Passetoutgrains’ which sees gamay as its blending partner. Wines of Burgundy are also named after the AOC that they are produced in, e.g. Vosne Romanee, Pommard. The vignerons believed that the wines should not be called a Pinot Noir as the grape is just one of the many factors and it doesn’t involve the Terroir, i.e. land, labour, processes, which are key to producing each individual label.
For those who are critical about their Pinots…. This is the wine to go for. The Vosne Romanee from Sylvain Cathiard features a nose full of berries, medium bodied with good round structure with light spiciness on the palate. The wines evolve in the glass, creating a different experience with each sip.
Introduced by the Head Sommelier, Vincent Tan, of Odette Restaurant (top 18 restaurant in the world). Pleasantly surprised by how elegant and posh this Vosne Romanee is, becoming the favourite appellation.
Written by:
Goh Kher Meng, CSW, FWS
Keching 