The village of Bray lies in the north of the Mâconnais. It’s the zone that also includes Cruzille and Verzé and is one of the cooler, later-ripening areas of the Mâconnais. The Roc Breïa vines face west, and it’s windy, so there is little disease pressure. The Chardonnay is drawn from vines planted in the mid-1940s and mid-’70s. In the cellar, the winemaking is 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 regarding picking dates. As for the wine itself, forget any stereotype about Mâcon; this is a juicy, punchy white Burgundy, atypically fresh and racy for the region.
Importer Notes
“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.”
92 Points
William Kelly, The Wine Advocate