Tasting Notes
The village of Bray lies in the north of the Mâcon. This cool area, which also includes Cruzille and Verzé, is one of the later ripening areas of the Mâconnais. The Roc Breïa vines face west and it’s a windy site, so there is little disease pressure. The Chardonnay is drawn from vines planted in the mid-1940s and mid-1970s. In the cellar, winemaking is very simple. The Chardonnay is whole bunch pressed and the wine ferments in used 500-litre barrels. It’s bottled unfiltered and the only sulphur added is at bottling: a tiny 20 mg/L. Instead of taking the Mâcon-Bray appellation, Dancer has chosen to label the wine Vin de France, so he has no restrictions in terms of picking dates.
As for the wine itself, forget any stereotype you have in your mind about Mâcon; this is a juicy, punchy, white Burgundy, atypically fresh and racy for the region. It’s packed with citrus pith, crunchy nectarine fruit and bright acidity; and it sits at just 11% alcohol. A fascinating beginning to what will surely be an exciting future. - Importer Note
There can’t be many young growers in Burgundy creating more hype than Théo Dancer. Théo is the son of Vincent Dancer, whose small Chassagne-based domaine has been releasing some of the Côte de Beaune’s most fought-over whites for many years. To the surprise of many—his father is very much in his prime—Théo took the keys of the domaine from the 2020 vintage. It speaks volumes that Vincent felt his son was ready to carry such responsibility on young shoulders. And he has already repaid the faith. In addition to his work with his family domaine, this inquisitive and ambitious winemaker now also works with a very exciting new project in the Mâconnais (called Roc Breïa) and has also started his own micro-négoce, sourcing fruit from several exciting vineyards across France.
Dancer assumed management of the Roc Breïa vineyard just before the start of the 2021 harvest. With the help of full-time vigneron Bastien Cubillé, he immediately began raising the vineyard work to his exacting standards. As good as his 2021 releases were, they are not a patch on the 2022s: a consequence of both progression in the vines and a great Burgundy vintage. The wines are very much in his domaine’s pure, racy, earth-to-glass style, albeit with their own regional personalities.
Théo Dancer’s excellent négoce range is compact in every sense; the largest cuvée runs to a total of 300 cases—which, with the name Dancer on the label, does not stretch far. Our allocation this year comprises a Savagnin from Jura and a beautifully perfumed Grenache from vines near Cairanne. Yes, you read it correctly: a Dancer making Grenache! And a damn good one at that. Théo Dancer is increasingly recognised as one of Burgundy’s most exciting young talents—these wines explain why.
| Product Type | Wine White Chardonnay |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Burgundy |
| Sub Region | Macon |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |