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.

“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 Kelley, The Wine Advocate