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BURGUNDY<br />
– STYLE –<br />
Several generations of the family have farmed in Champagne, but Bruno and Matthieu Dangin chose the Châtillonais to flex<br />
their winemaking muscle by making organic Crémant<br />
Bourgogne producers specialise in the various white and red<br />
wine appellations across Burgundy but not so at Domaine<br />
Bruno Dangin. Here, sparkling wines rule the roost, which is<br />
not surprising considering the property’s history. Bruno Dangin<br />
and his son Matthieu, both winegrowers and winemakers,<br />
come from a family that has been based in neighbouring<br />
Champagne for several generations. They felt the need to<br />
produce organic wines. Were they tempted to convert the<br />
family estate? “That’s impossible. There are 12 partners and<br />
we don’t all have the same desires”, explains Matthieu Dangin.<br />
The vineyards of Champagne are expensive and organic is not<br />
profitable enough, so they quickly proved to be out of reach.<br />
There was another option, though. Located 3 km from the<br />
village of Les Riceys – capital of the Côte des Bar – the village<br />
of Molesmes, in the Châtillonnais, tipped the balance in favour<br />
of Burgundy. Since 2011, the two have been growing Pinot<br />
noir and Chardonnay on limestone soils with pronounced<br />
minerality. “They are so hard that we broke the ploughs on<br />
them the first year”, they recall. The vines, planted in the 1970s,<br />
were converted to organic as soon as they arrived, and now<br />
SUMMER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 31
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