Wine Advocate 92+(2017)
 
As readers may know, Pataille's 2017 Bourgogne Le Chapitre derives from a historic vineyard that was excluded from the appellation of Marsannay because it's to the north of the village of Chenôve, even though it's clearly a high-quality site. Exhibiting aromas of orange rind, sweet soil tones, wild berries, plums and dark chocolate, it's medium to full-bodied, with a muscular chassis of powdery tannin and fine concentration. More structured than any of the domaine's Marsannay cuvées—excepting the Ancestrale—this will really blossom with four or five years in the cellar.
 
The story of Sylvain Pataille, rising star of the Côte de Nuits, shows that in Marsannay-la-Côte, we know how to stick ones elbows between neighbors. At a time when land is increasingly scarce and expensive in Burgundy, Sylvain Pataille has managed to realize his dream. From a single hectare (rented!) In 1999, its domain has grown to two hectares in 2000 and four hectares in 2001. 2002 saw a big evolution with the passage to ten hectares and especially the arrival of beautiful plots . Today he is the proud owner of 14 hectares of vines, on the same land that saw him born 35 years ago.