A novel synthesis of 1 (BMS-270394), a nuclear retinoic acidreceptor (RAR) agonist, is reported. The synthesis includesan enantioselective reduction of -ketoacid 4 to the corresponding chiral -hydroxy acid 7 using a NaBH4/L-tartaric acidmixture and a novel coupling between 7 and an electron-deficient aniline 11 which was activated via N-sulfinyl derivative15 to form chiral -hydroxy amide 16. The synthesis wascompleted by a racemization-free hydrolysis of 16 to thecorresponding -hydroxy amidoacid 1 using KOSiMe3 inacetonitrile.