Theo Dancer Roc Breia Chardonnay 2022

Price: $110.00

Qty:   Add to Cart

Producer	Theo Dancer
Country	France
Region	Burgundy
Subregion	Macon
Varietal	Chardonnay
Vintage	2022
Sku	30513
Size	750ml

 

WA

92

Roc Breïa is an exciting new project in the Mâconnais led by Chassagne-Montrachet's Théo Dancer. There has long been a domaine at this site in the hamlet of Bray, but its fruit was always sold to the négoce. When its owners wanted to sell, two investors decided to buy it—one of them being the courtier who used to sell the crop in the past. Dancer heard of the acquisition and went to see the vineyards; he immediately proposed to sign up as a consultant but only on the condition that he'd control the whole affair from A to Z, beginning with the farming and ending with the allocations. He took over on July 1, 2021, in the midst of a challenging growing season and has produced a fine debut vintage.

Dancer is already working to bring the soils back into balance, leaving cover crops and manually cultivating under the rows, so this will be a project to follow closely. In the cellar, winemaking is very simple: Chardonnay must ferments in used 500-liter barrels at its own pace, and Pinot Noir sees very gentle macerations with a certain percentage of whole bunch, similarly followed by maturation in used 500-liter barrels. Dancer then makes a rigorous barrel selection, eliminating anything he doesn't like from the final blend. There are only be two cuvées, a red and a white, both released as Vin de France to avoid treading on neighbors' toes.

The 2022 Chardonnay has turned out beautifully, bursting with aromas of pear, white flowers, bread dough and hazelnuts, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy palate with a satiny attack that segues into a charming, lively mid-palate, with good cut and a saline finish. Dancer sold off two-thirds of his crop in 2021, but the quality of his raw materials in 2022 should permit a less draconian selection.