2018 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru

Sébastien Cathiard has quietly gone about making Domaine Sylvain Cathiard one of the most elite producers in Vosne-Romanée, with prices to match. His is a small but enviable portfolio. Perhaps next year there will be more wines for those on tight budgets since he told me that he has expanded his holdings considerably via fermage agreements that include more Bourgogne Rouge, a plot of Gevrey-Chambertin and his first venture into whites. But for now, let’s concentrate on the 2018s in barrel. He told me that he picked from 8 September, later than other growers, though his 28 harvesters picked quickly so that he was finished by 11 September. His alcohol levels range between 12.8% and 13.5% but with good pH levels between 3.45 and 3.55. As usual, everything is completely de-stemmed and when I asked whether he ever entertains the idea of adding a few "raffles" into the vat, it just looked at me askance as if to say "silly question." His wines underwent a 28-30 day cuvaison, maceration conducted 80% by remontage and 20% by pigeage. One curiosity that he is unable to explain is the order in which malolactic took place. "The Romanée-Saint-Vivant is usually the first to do its malo, but in 2018 it was the last, at the end of July, whereas Aux Malconsorts is usually the last, but it was finished around mid-May," he explained. None of the wines had been racked when I tasted them in early December, allowing them to spend two winters on their lees. They’ll be racked according to the lunar cycle in March and expects to bottle in Spring. Remaining true to Cathiard’s style, these are sumptuous expressions of their respective terroirs that contain a little more black fruit than other Vosne producers. One view I share with Cathiard is that his En Orveaux is perhaps an overlooked gem among the range. Also I dared suggest that his stunning Aux Malconsorts may well surpass his Romanée-Saint-Vivant. He didn’t shoo me out his winery with a long broom, suggesting that my idea was not completely unrealistic. These wines are highly sought after so you will have to pay through the nose for them, but those that adore Cathiard’s style will find much to savour in these 2018s.