Matthieu Dangin, quiet and unassuming, yet impeccably talented
I entered the wine industry like many professionals do: I’m not exactly sure how but it was definitely by accident. At the time, I was in my early 20’s at university studying earth science (and fine art, philosophy, and Spanish.. as one does) and had a serendipitous part-time job at a small bottle shop. With an initially scientific perspective, I was immediately fascinated with how a place’s terroir (the climate, soil composition, aspect, and so on) directly influences the final product of any given wine. But now, as I’ve been in the industry for over a decade, I’ve come to profoundly realize that one of the most important pieces of a wine’s terroir is the winemaker themself. And with a whole world of wine to choose from and more available options than ever, we believe that you can and should establish your personal priorities and then buy and drink accordingly. We always emphasize the idea of wine as any other agricultural product, so for us, healthy sustainable growing/production methods and right-minded, compassionate ethics are always high on the list. This excludes the vast majority of wines out there unfortunately, since less than 3% of wine worldwide is grown organically, and even some of the cleanest grown wines have ethical fair-trade issues. Thankfully, the trend is slowly but surely gravitating towards better practices. But still, now more than ever, it’s so important to support the hard-working, honest people, the farmers and artisans doing right by the earth and making the goods we love to share and enjoy.
Without any further ado, it’s my privilege and pleasure to feature Matthieu Dangin, a quiet and unassuming, yet impeccably talented young winemaker producing some of the best valued sparkling wines in our market. Dangin checks all the boxes: This family-owned and operated micro-production is well-farmed (certified organic/somewhat biodynamic), well-made (hand harvested bunches undergo a long, controlled fermentation completely under cork with only indigenous yeasts, no blasphemous manipulation and very little if any added sulfur) and, the best part… the wines are straight up delicious.
This vintage wine press emphasizes the stark contrast to the million dollar tasting rooms and expensive new equipment found throughout Champagne.
Matthieu Dangin is the fourth generation of vignerons in his family, and although today the wines made aren’t actually Champagne, the story certainly starts there. At the turn of the 19th century Matthieu’s great-grandfather Joseph Dangin inherited about 50 hectares of vines in Pulikot, in the southerly Aube department of Champagne, which were farmed simply to sell grapes to the large Champagne houses in order to support the family. Joseph’s son Paul Dangin took over in 1947 and was the first Dangin to begin bottling their own wine. Paul’s son Bruno, along with his brothers, later took over in 1976. It was Matthieu’s father Bruno, however, who changed the course of family history with his forward-thinking vision and uncompromising passion for organic farming. Bruno knew that unfortunately, the process of converting 50ha to organics would take decades of hard work, so he founded a much smaller project 2.5km south of the southern border of Champagne. It’s here that Domaine Bruno Dangin resides today, in the mostly unplanted region of Molesme, in Chatillonnais in northern Burgundy’s Chablis region, merely a walkable distance from the protected designation of Champagne proper.
Side note: Even some lawful areas of Champagne today (ahem, the entire Côte des Bar), were excluded completely from the Champagne AOC as recently as 1919, when years of unrest and turmoil (the Champagne Riots) forced the governing body to include the lands once more - which is yet another example of why we shouldn’t get too married to specific designations or appellations. Our favorites are often (just) outside the box, and as you’re about to see here sometimes some of the best bargains in Champagne are… technically not in Champagne!
I mean COME ON.
Like his father Bruno, Matthieu chooses to farm their five hectares of mostly Pinot Noir organically, in honor of the future generations of the Dangin family. Keeping with the idea of improving the land and preserving the biodiversity of plants and animals in the surrounding environment, he borrows many concepts from Biodynamics, but doesn’t necessarily follow the strict specific regiments of the practice. On the outside of Dangin’s modest, corrugated steel winery, in delightfully crooked handwritten Sharpie, slanting up like a fourth grader's writing on a chalkboard, you can find Matthieu’s personal cell phone number, in case visitors find the building vacant because “[he’s] out in the vines” but will gladly return “in five minutes to serve you.” Their tiny parcels are mostly found on sunny south or south-east facing slopes, with their 30ish-year-old vines rooted in deep, hard limestone. One notable exception is their spectacular east-facing parcel comprised of the coveted Jurrasic marl, the prehistoric fossil-laden Kimmeridgian blend of limestone and clay. Despite being hours from any present-day shoreline, walking through these precious rows of vines you’re apt to trip over the countless intact fossils and sea shells from the ancient sea floor that once covered a large area of northern France. It’s the presence of this chalky limestone (which is extremely rare outside Chablis) that contributes to the trademark acidity in the wines despite the warmer temperatures than your typical Champagne region. Furthermore, it’s the clay content of the soil in Molesme which allows for more structure: bolder fruit and a rounder, richer body and mouthfeel. When those two elements combine, you have something very special, and the evidence is apparent in any bottle of Dangin.
Wow!!! You definitely don’t see soil like that of “La Grande Côte” everyday.
Only technically (haha) a Crémant de Bourgogne, Dangin’s non-vintage Cuvee Blanche is, literally and figuratively, about as close to Champagne as you can get for a fraction of the price. Honestly, it’s very rare that we talk about inexpensive sparkling wine like this…. But this sub-$30 bottle has the distinctive *tension* of any great work of art. The wine is somehow at once both delicate and powerful. There’s an intense Champagney-ness, since the wine spends 30 months resting on its lees, contributing to a long, rich, creamy finish. Yet there’s a crisp freshness, thanks to our constant supply of recent disgorgements every couple months (Thanks, Transatlantic Bubbles!!). In just one sip, flavors range from dense, fresh, tart fruit (granny smith apple and red berries) to a definite nuttiness (green almond for me) to undeniable bakery vibes like there’s an actual cream cheese danish in your glass.
Dangin’s Brut Rosé of Pinot Noir also deftly plays with that tension between lightness and power. A touch toasty on the palate with a streak of pulpy raspberry fruit, it’s like drinking the liquid version of bright fresh raspberry jam on brioche toast. Being a Saignee rosé style, it’s naturally a bolder style of rosé Champagne, with a beautiful deep magenta robe, a lively mousse, a fine bead, and a mouthwatering long finish. This wine has been aged sur latte for 20 months, so it’s rich but not sweet, and the concentrated flavors of tart fresh berries are lifted by a refreshingly high acidity.
Fossils!! Yum!!!
Last but definitely not least is Domaine Bruno Dangin’s tête de cuvée bottling, the Prestige de Narcès, named after Matthieu’s mother’s maiden name. A single-vintage wine (currently 2018) as well as a single-vineyard wine, the Pinot Noir here comes exculsively from the “La Grande Côte,” that special east-facing vineyard with vines planted in the 1970s in that spectacular fossilized kimmeridgian soil. The Prestige de Narcès is made entirely from the cuvée cut, the precious juice from only the first pressing, so less than 2800 of these bottles are made in any given year. It’s also their only barrel-fermented style which, together with a touch of extra dosage, lends to the fleshy, plush body and soft, supple flavors of vanilla and juicy pear. Once an exclusive glass-pour at the Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in NYC, you can now try this special bottling at the incredible value of only $31.
That all being said, there are very few sparkling wines that compete with the quality and price point of Domaine Bruno Dangin, and luckily you can find them on our shelves in each of our shops at any time. Special enough for a holiday, yet inexpensive and accessible enough for your everyday bubbles, we sincerely hope you get to try some soon!
— Kim