It is fitting to start today’s offer with some words from Jasper Morris MW, who joined us last week in Sydney and Melbourne for a series of events to promote his excellent book, Inside Burgundy. According to Morris, arguably the most dynamic area in Burgundy today isn’t found in the Côte d’Or, Chablis, or the Chalonnaise but instead lies further to the south in the Mâcon. “While it is welcome to find new players in well-established appellations,” writes Morris, “how much more valuable to be able to buy with confidence lovingly and carefully made wines from hidden quarters of the Mâconnais…” Mâcon-Bray is one such hidden quarter. Or, in the hands of Théo Dancer, perhaps hidden treasure is more apt. For those who do not recognise the name, Dancer is the main man at Domaine Vincent Dancer, his father’s celebrated Chassagne-Montrachet estate. Alongside Charles Lachaux and Camille Thiriet, Théo is one of Burgundy’s younger generation’s most talked about growers. Not only has he somehow managed to keep his family’s domaine at great heights, but he has also established an impressive vineyard/eco-forestry project in the Hautes-Côtes, begun making some striking wines under his eponymous négoce project, all the while launching the Roc Breïa project that we offer today. No one can accuse Théo Dancer of resting on his family’s laurels! To get our bearings, Mâcon-Bray lies in the cooler western section of the region. The closest ‘name’ is Cruzille, whose ancient hillside vineyards were originally planted by the local monks of Cluny in 910 A.D. The west-facing soils here comprise limestone laced with silica and other minerals. Roc Breïa comes from a single vineyard managed by Théo and his team. While it is often assumed that the Mâconnais has a warmer climate than the Côte d’Or, that is not the case here. Mâcon-Bray is windy, and the grapes ripen later than many vineyards further north. Coupled with Dancer’s obsession with picking dates, the wines have a sleek, racy personality that sets them apart from their neighbours. If the best wines from the Mâconnais continue to fly under the radar in Australia and other export markets, it is not a question of terroir. History, local politics, grower ambition and fashion all play complex roles in the ebb and flow of France’s Byzantine appellation system. Ultimately, for us, at least, what ends up in the glass counts most. And here, what is in the glass is exemplary Burgundy, irrespective of the postcode. Dancer’s Roc Breïa wines get the same care and attention as those of his grander appellations in the Côte d’Or and, pound-for-pound, deliver the same levels of excitement.