1999 Sylvain Cathiard Romanee-St. Vivant

Sylvain Cathiard is a 10-acre estate in Romanee-Saint-Vivant, in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. Sylvain himself is a third-generation Burgundian winemaker who set up his own domaine nearly 20 years ago before returning to run the family’s domaine after his father’s retirement. He now works with his son Sebastian. Their flagship wines are Vosne-Romanee Premier Crus Les Malconsorts, En Orveau, Les Reignots and Les Suchots, and Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Crus Aux Thorey and Les Murgers. Cathiard and his wines are beloved by many wine writers, including Clive Coates, who says “there is a touch of genius here in the winemaking, resulting in bottles of exceptional purity and fragrance: Pinot Noir at its most elegant.”

Romanee-Saint-Vivant is a 23-acre Grand Cru vineyard just on the northern edge of the commune of Vosne-Romanee in the Cote de Nuits. The vineyard faces east, has a gentle incline and an elevation of 250 to 265 meters. The soil is clay and limestone. Principal producers of Romanee-Saint-Vivant are Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, with 13.23 acres; Leroy, with 2.48 acres; and Domaine de Corton-Grancey/Louis Latour, with 1.9 acres.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.