As with his father and grandfather before him, Sylvain’s wines demonstrate with resounding force the greatness of Chassagne-Montrachet as a red-wine terroir. His breathtaking village-level Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge comprises old selection-massale Pinot Noir from three vineyards: just under half a hectare in La Bressonne, planted in 1956; a quarter-hectare in Les Lambardes, planted in 1967; and a 0.2-hectare sliver in Les Chimbres from 1974. Sylvain retains 40% whole clusters for the vinification, which lasts three weeks; he employs pump-overs rather than punch-downs, preferring a thorough, slow, gentle extraction that preserves lift; and he bottles softly after 18 months in 20% new barrels. This cuvée is riotously aromatic, full of spice and cherries and wet stones, and it electrifies and caresses the palate simultaneously. Chassagne’s unabashed soil-driven nature shines through clearly but elegantly, and one would have to spend multiples more in the Côte de Nuits to find something even approaching this.