Domaine Sylvain Pataille, a domaine unlike any other

When Sylvain Pataille comes to visit, he doesn’t come alone. On this beautiful spring morning, they left their Burgundian village of Marsannay around 6 a.m. to arrive at the Berthomieu/Ermitage cooperage in La Charité-sur-Loire at 9 a.m., their meeting point.

“Coming to Murlin is an essential step — coming together is indispensable.”

The group of 24 people is split across three minibuses chartered for the occasion. At the wheel of the first is Sylvain Pataille: “We are a team — a family, even. We are used to sharing experiences. Coming here, to Murlin, and visiting the cooperage where the barrels we use are made makes sense to everyone. The explanations about the forest and the making of the staves are just as meaningful. Forest management, the long term, and the valorization of the material are values that resonate with us…”

The Pataille way

A loyal client of the Berthomieu/Ermitage cooperage, Sylvain is both an enthusiast and an advocate of oak barrel aging. “I’m in love with wood — with oak. I find it warm; it elevates the wines and enhances their quality. Oak brings that extra soul capable of transforming a modest wine into a great one.” And in this respect, the winemaker based in the Côte de Nuits knows what he’s talking about. Starting from scratch, he set out to restore the reputation of the often-criticized Aligoté grape variety and to position the wines of Marsannay among the great wines of Burgundy.

Sylvain Pataille founded his eponymous estate in 2001: “A bit despite myself,” he jokes, “I bought this plot of vines — Gamay — that no one wanted anymore. That’s how I started, with the idea of making wine to drink with friends.” A trained oenology engineer, Sylvain Pataille began his career as a consulting oenologist, a role he continues on a smaller scale alongside his work as a winemaker deeply rooted in his native terroir — Marsannay and the wine region of Burgundy.

The hand of man

At Pataille, vineyard work is done by hand — from trimming to harvesting. The estate’s 17 hectares are certified organic and are moving toward biodynamic practices. More than a choice, it is a philosophy. “Nature does its work — we simply accompany it.” Through his work and determination, Sylvain Pataille contributes to the growing reputation of Marsannay wines. A keen observer of his time, he constantly reinvents himself to offer wines that meet evolving demand.

“I use oak barrels systematically, with 10 to 30% new oak depending on the cuvée. In my cellar, I have around 600 barrels and a few large casks. Aging periods are fairly long — between 15 and 24 months — with minimal intervention in the cellar. It’s the same as in the vineyard: you have to trust nature. For me, oak is an excellent companion for aging my wines; it’s a tool for balance. For my whites, I use barrels that are more than ten years old, which provide neutrality and allow the fruit and terroir to take center stage. For my press wines, I use 100% new American oak. Oak barrels have this particularity of offering many possibilities in vinification and aging. Oak structures and stabilizes my wines, refines the tannins, while allowing the fruit and terroir to remain the priority.”

Common ground

Throughout the day spent visiting Murlin, the members of the Pataille estate had the opportunity to immerse themselves in oak, discovering rare trades and time-honored, valuable know-how.

“Talking about it is one thing — seeing it is another. There are gestures here that echo those we perform every day in the vineyard, in the cellar, and in our relationships with our clients. Craftsmanship, working by hand — almost in the old-fashioned way — the transmission of knowledge and values: these are things that are essential to me and that we share with Charlois. And then, of course, respect for nature and its cycles. Here, there is the long timescale of the forest, of stave maturation. With us, the long timescale of aging, the use of barrels more than ten years old. And even if the estate is young, we cultivate a family spirit with as much care as we cultivate the land and the vines. We rely on people to make good wine — and on oak.”