Domaine Sylvain Cathiard
2014 Nuits St. Georges “Aux Murgers” ♥1er Cru Red barrel
Score: 90-93
Tasted: Jan 15, 2016
Drink: 2026+
Issue: 61
Outstanding
Note: from a .47 ha parcel of 65+ year old vines
Producer note: Sébastian Cathiard described his 2014 campaign as “much less complicated than either 2012 or 2013 but it wasn’t without some challenges. The early part of the growing season was unusually warm and I was worried about the possibility of shatter but as it turned out the flowering was fast and homogenous. In fact in most parcels it started and finished in only 4 to 8 days. 2014 is also the first year where we used zero chemicals in the vineyards so I’m proud of that. We did have a few spots that were attacked by the Suzukii flies but as long as you did a thorough sorting job, it was pretty much a non-issue for us. We picked from the 17th to the 20th of September and for the first time since 2009 brought in normal yields. Potential alcohols were good to very good and ranged from 11.8 to 12.8%. The skins were thick and thus the colors and extractions happened easily and relatively quickly so there were zero problems with the vinifications though the malos were extended. Another change I made was to once again reduce the amount of new wood and to lower the toast of the barrels as well. In 2014 I used 50% new wood for the villages wines and two-thirds for the 1ers and the Romanée St. Vivant. I very much like the style of the wines and while I hear some people say that they’re too commercial or accessible, I think that they’re going to surprise people by how well they age. Time of course will tell but 2014 produced some lovely wines.” Note that the 2013s, revisited below were bottled in April 2015. (Becky Wasserman & Co., www.leserbet.com, Beaune, France; The Wine Society, www.thewinesociety.com, Robert Rolls & Co., www.robertrolls.com, Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com, Flint Wines, www.flintwines.com, La Réserve, and O.W. Loeb, www.owloeb.com, all UK; Veritas Imports, www.veritaswine.com, CA/NV/CO/AZ/NM, Fine Vines, www.finevines.com, Chicago, IL, Wines Unlimited, www.winesunlimited.com, New Orleans, LA, Frederick Wildman, www.frederickwildman.com, NY/NJ/CT, Classified Wine & Spirits, LLC, www.classifiedwine.net, Austin, TX, Small Potatoes Wine, www.smallpotatoeswine.com, Boise ID, C’est Vin, LLC, 703/243-3559, Arlington, VA; Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com, UK; L’Imperatrice Fine Wines, www.imperatrice.com.hk, Hong Kong/China).
Tasting note: Once again strong reduction flattens the underlying fruit. By contrast there is excellent size, weight and power to the muscular yet unusually refined flavors thanks to the fine-grained tannins that are dense enough to coat the palate on the impressively long if youthfully austere finale. This too is definitely going to require at least a modicum of patience and reward 12 to 15 years of cellaring.
Domaine Sylvain Cathiard, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru, Aux Murgers
US$2,545 / 每箱價格
Domaine Sylvain Cathiard
2014 Nuits St. Georges “Aux Murgers” ♥1er Cru Red barrel
Score: 90-93
Tasted: Jan 15, 2016
Drink: 2026+
Issue: 61
Outstanding
Note: from a .47 ha parcel of 65+ year old vines
Producer note: Sébastian Cathiard described his 2014 campaign as “much less complicated than either 2012 or 2013 but it wasn’t without some challenges. The early part of the growing season was unusually warm and I was worried about the possibility of shatter but as it turned out the flowering was fast and homogenous. In fact in most parcels it started and finished in only 4 to 8 days. 2014 is also the first year where we used zero chemicals in the vineyards so I’m proud of that. We did have a few spots that were attacked by the Suzukii flies but as long as you did a thorough sorting job, it was pretty much a non-issue for us. We picked from the 17th to the 20th of September and for the first time since 2009 brought in normal yields. Potential alcohols were good to very good and ranged from 11.8 to 12.8%. The skins were thick and thus the colors and extractions happened easily and relatively quickly so there were zero problems with the vinifications though the malos were extended. Another change I made was to once again reduce the amount of new wood and to lower the toast of the barrels as well. In 2014 I used 50% new wood for the villages wines and two-thirds for the 1ers and the Romanée St. Vivant. I very much like the style of the wines and while I hear some people say that they’re too commercial or accessible, I think that they’re going to surprise people by how well they age. Time of course will tell but 2014 produced some lovely wines.” Note that the 2013s, revisited below were bottled in April 2015. (Becky Wasserman & Co., www.leserbet.com, Beaune, France; The Wine Society, www.thewinesociety.com, Robert Rolls & Co., www.robertrolls.com, Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com, Flint Wines, www.flintwines.com, La Réserve, and O.W. Loeb, www.owloeb.com, all UK; Veritas Imports, www.veritaswine.com, CA/NV/CO/AZ/NM, Fine Vines, www.finevines.com, Chicago, IL, Wines Unlimited, www.winesunlimited.com, New Orleans, LA, Frederick Wildman, www.frederickwildman.com, NY/NJ/CT, Classified Wine & Spirits, LLC, www.classifiedwine.net, Austin, TX, Small Potatoes Wine, www.smallpotatoeswine.com, Boise ID, C’est Vin, LLC, 703/243-3559, Arlington, VA; Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com, UK; L’Imperatrice Fine Wines, www.imperatrice.com.hk, Hong Kong/China).
Tasting note: Once again strong reduction flattens the underlying fruit. By contrast there is excellent size, weight and power to the muscular yet unusually refined flavors thanks to the fine-grained tannins that are dense enough to coat the palate on the impressively long if youthfully austere finale. This too is definitely going to require at least a modicum of patience and reward 12 to 15 years of cellaring.
