Domaine Sylvain Pataille - Marsannay Clos du Roy 2023

Sylvain Pataille is perhaps secretly one of the most important figures in Burgundy today. Beyond being a leader in organic and biodynamic viticulture, he is also a consulting oenologist for some of the most famed domaines in the region.

Sylvain grew up around wine, though his family didn’t own any vines. His father was a bus driver, who spent the free time in his afternoons helping his vigneron friend Jean Fournier. Sylvain and his brother Laurent would meet their father in the Fournier vines after school, forming an attachment to the life of a vine farmer. His paternal great uncle also owned a domaine in the Médoc that the Patailles visited every summer. Sylvain knew from an early age that winemaking would be his career and he attended winemaking school in Beaune to make that dream come true. Right before graduating he was hired by a local lab as a salesperson, where he admittedly was very bad at sales. He quickly left to start his own domaine in the village of Marsannay, at the northern edge of the Côte de Nuits, while consulting on the side from contacts made during his sales days.

Starting with just 1 hectare in 1999, he slowly grew his domaine to its current size of 15ha. Sylvain’s older brother Laurent, a trained oenologist himself, eventually joined the domaine in 2008, becoming Sylvain’s right hand.

The domaine consists of vines across Marsannay. In the vines, he practices very low yields, ploughs by horse, and works biodynamically, earning him the reputation as one of the finest farmers in the Côte d’Or.

For his vinifcations, he presses long and slow, uses only indigenous yeast, and adds very little sulfur only at bottling. Aging takes between 15-18 months but can be longer depending on the wine. If a certain vintage and certain vineyard requires 24 months, he will do so, allowing the wine to tell him what it needs as opposed to following any formula.

Sylvain’s wines are extraordinary examples of what top farming, matched with one of the brightest oenological minds, can produce. They are wines of incredible balance, seamless textures, and clearly defined minerality that can only come from the one the greats of Burgundy.

Roy is the ancient French spelling of Roi, meaning king. This Clos was originally called   “Le Clos des Ducs”, as it was a possession of the Dukes of Burgundy. The vineyard was renamed Clos du Roy in 1477, after the defeat at Nancy of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, and the subsequent annexation to the Kingdom of France of his lands.

Clos du Roy is located in Chenôve. It is the northernmost lieu-dit in the Marsannay appellation. The vineyard sits at 270-meters elevation. The slope is moderate. It faces slightly south of east.

"Very delicate, perfumed aromas of red cherries, rose petals, hibiscus, blood oranges and graphite. The palate is vibrant and crunchy with finely integrated tannins and bright acidity. This is nervy and focused with high-toned red fruit. 100% whole-cluster fermented. No sulfur added. Very good. Drink or hold." - 95 Points, James Suckling

Producer: Domaine Sylvain Pataille

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Appellation: Marsannay

Vintage: 2023

Size: 750ml