2017 Chambolle-Musigny, Les Clos de l'Orme, Domaine Sylvain Cathiard, Burgundy

The vineyard is just below the Premier Cru Les Plantes, a good site which is almost Premier Cru quality. The nose is pure Chambolle, with floral lift and expressive, sexy oak. Juicy blue fruit floods the palate, combining with chalky tannins before the floral perfume from the nose returns to complete the circle. Drink 2020-2026.

After Sébastien’s disappointment at the disastrous crop of 2016, there is an air of positivity in the cellar, with plenty of full barrels and some new vineyard fermage contracts coming on stream in 2018, which will increase his surface area by 3.75 hectares. While Sébastien is clearly excited and very pleased with the parcels, these are mainly in “humble” Bourgogne and Hautes Côtes appellations, evidence that finding vineyards in Vosne and Chambolle is a near-impossible task these days. Beginning on 13th September and lasting the usual three days, the harvest and subsequent vinification were described by Sébastien as reassuringly straightforward.