From Marsannay with Intention: The Winemaking of Sylvain Pataille

With their striking blue labels, the wines of Sylvain Pataille are easily recognisable—even from afar. Since trying Sylvain’s Bourgogne Aligoté some five years ago, his wines are ones I have returned to time and time again.

Much like his bottles, Sylvain is easily recognisable, with his head of blond-ginger curls and rounded glasses. Based in Marsannay-la-Côte in Burgundy’s Côte-d’Or, he works across 17 hectares and has become an important figure in both the Burgundy and low-intervention wine scenes.

Sylvain was born and raised in Marsannay and began studying at the Beaune wine school at the age of 14. He later attended university in Bordeaux to further his education and deepen his understanding of the wine world. In 1999, he started with just one hectare of vines. By 2002, that had increased to nine hectares. Over the years, he has amassed a number of different plots across Marsannay, including some of the area’s finest terroirs.

One of the reasons I particularly appreciate Sylvain’s wines and methods is his dedication to the care and rejuvenation of the Aligoté grape variety. Once grown side by side with Chardonnay in the 17th century, Aligoté had long been underappreciated. Sylvain has cultivated several age-worthy single-vineyard plots and is also one of the five founding members of the Aligoteurs association.

Pataille is more than a winemaker—he is a caretaker and craftsman, whose curiosity has shaped many of the cuvées he produces. Whether working with Pinot Noir or Aligoté, his wines are precise, expressive, and leave a lasting impression. In a region defined by heritage Pataille has carved out a place for himself by listening to the land and letting it speak through his wines.