Roc Breia

Roc Breia is a brand-new estate in the Maconnais. It is run by the young Theo Dancer. He who makes just two wines here: a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay. Juicy and powerful with superb freshness, they have met with immediate critical acclaim.

Theo is the son of Vincent Dancer of the eponymous domaine in Chassagne-Montrachet. He took over winemaking at his father’s estate in 2020 then found the site for Roc Breia in 2021.

Roc-Breia is in Macon-Bray, a northerly village in the Maconnais. The area is cooler and later-ripening than elsewhere, allowing for complex flavours to develop in the grapes. The estate itself consists of ten hectares of vines in a single block: quite unlike the parcellated holdings that are the norm in the Cote d’Or. The Chardonnay vines are over 60 years old and the Pinot Noir vines are over 35 years old.

In the vineyard, Theo has begun converting to sustainable practices, with cover crops and manual under-row cultivation. The wines are vinified in Chassagne at the family domaine. The Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed then fermented in 500L barrels. For the Pinot Noir, Theo retains some whole bunches. Both wines are matured in large oak and bottled with no fining or filtration. The wines are labelled Vin de France to allow for maximum flexibility.

The wines at Roc-Breia are very good – especially when you consider that 2022 was the first vintage in which Theo had full control. “An exciting new project” says the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley, calling it “cutting edge”.