2023 Sylvain Cathiard Hautes Cotes de Nuits Aux Chaumes, Burgundy

Another colour on the paler side. Again, an attractive leafiness, this time perhaps a mini-reduction. There is a greater depth of fresh red fruit, raspberry and redcurrant, a little youthful bitterness, but greater fruit content in the length compared to the oak. Drink from 2026-2028. Tasted Nov 2024.

88-89 points Jasper Morris MW insideburgundy.com

Sylvain Cathiard Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Aux Chaumes from Burgundy is a beautifully expressive and refined Pinot Noir that showcases the precision and elegance that define this revered domaine. Crafted by Sébastien Cathiard, one of the Côte de Nuits’ most meticulous and respected winemakers, it delivers the hallmark perfume, texture, and poise of the Cathiard style in a more approachable and charming frame. Despite its humble appellation, this wine rivals many Premier Crus for finesse and depth.

The grapes are sourced from the Aux Chaumes vineyard in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, located on elevated slopes west of Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges. The site’s limestone and marl soils, coupled with cooler nights, produce fruit with lifted aromatics, vibrant acidity, and fine tannin structure. The vines are farmed with meticulous care, using low yields to achieve concentration and balance. The fruit is hand picked, naturally fermented in small open vats, and aged in French oak barrels (around one-third new) for approximately 18 months.

In the glass it shimmers a luminous ruby red. The aroma is fragrant and pure, offering wild strawberry, red cherry and violet with subtle hints of spice, forest floor, and fine oak. The palate is silky and refined, showing a beautiful interplay of ripe fruit, savoury minerality, and bright acidity. There’s an effortless grace here — a wine that speaks softly yet leaves a lasting impression, finishing long and harmonious.

It pairs wonderfully with duck breast, roast chicken, mushroom dishes, or charcuterie, and it’s equally at home alongside soft cheeses such as Brie de Meaux. Enjoy it now for its freshness and charm, or cellar for 8 to 12 years to reveal deeper, more earthy complexity.