Vincent Dancer
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Ask around and the name Vincent Dancer generally draws an "ooh" and that wry smile that says, "Oh, so you know, do you?" The native Alsatian ventured toward his family's land in Burgundy after his schooling and fell in love with the vineyards; he never went back. Today, we consider this perfectionist visionary a perfect blend of the old and new schools, stylistically and in embracing both technology and minimalism. The next generation has fully taken charge in the form of the wildly-talented Theo, who can't seem to (nor do we want him to) hold back his undying ambitions and talents. As much as we already hold these wines in high esteem, there truly is no ceiling here.
This past year, we have introduced you to the two different labels from Theo Dancer: the eponymous Theo Dancer label as well as Roc Breia. Now, we are thrilled to add to Thatcher's Imports the wines from Domaine Vincent Dancer, where it all started.
Aside from his two aforementioned side projects, Theo returned back to the domaine in 2016 and has worked closely with his father Vincent ever since. In 2021, he took over the domaine fully. With almost 6ha in total, you would think the family has had roots in Chassagne for quite some time; however Vincent is actually from Alsace. The family had owned vineyards in Chassagne for quite some time, but they had been rented out. In 1995, Vincent's curiosity piqued and he decided to spend some time in Burgundy; just like that, he went from engineer to winemaker. The domaine was formed in 1996, which we would consider relatively young for a Burgundy domaine with this sort of prestige and following. Although we have seen small adjustments over the years, overall Vincent has been following the same philosophy for most of his career. The wine is already "made" by the time it gets to the winery; at that point, the vigneron is just there to help take it from one step to the next. Vincent's domaine has been making terroir-reflective wines with incredible energy, length, and texture for more than two decades. With Theo taking over from his father, this won't change. Theo's focus isn't on changing what is happening in the cellar, but just continuing to improve the vineyards as much as he can. He believes in his father's methods - we have seen this in the way he is making the wines from Roc Breia and Theo Dancer with the same approach.
VITICULTURE
Certified Organic since 2012, the vineyards have always been top focus at the domaine, believing the wine is truly made in the vineyard. His viticulture has always been with a focus on respecting the vine and what it needs to support its natural cycle. Theo has continued this ideal with taking things a bit further - he is experimenting with higher canopies as well as lowering the yields, with a goal of 15hl/ha.
VINIFICATION
In the cellar, it is quite simple. The wines are pressed before being fermented with indigenous yeasts, and allowing naturally-occurring malolactic fermentation. The wines are transferred to barrel for aging with 20-50% new oak depending on the vintage and cuvée. There is never batonnage and the wine is transferred to stainless tank to settle for a few months before bottling, which is performed without fining or filtration.
