Theo Dancer - Vin de France 'Roc Breia' Chardonnay - 2021

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 Notes Tasted from multiple barrels shortly before bottling, Théo Dancer’s Roc Breïa 2021 Chardonnay offers up inviting aromas of orchard fruit and orange oil mingled with nuances of freshly baked bread, sweet stones, beeswax and nutmeg. Medium-bodied, fleshy and incisive, with tangy acids and a long, saline finish, it’s a terrific debut effort for this new project. Maturation was in used 500-liter barrels. 90-92 Points William Kelly, The Wine Advocate