The Cras Blanc Monopole comes from the best exposed heart of the 2.5 hectare block of Chardonnay at the domaine. This special cuve is then aged for at least 18 months in new and used barrels. The vineyards around Dijon are often thought of as Pinot Noir country, but Soyard shows that Chardonnay can thrive just as well and produce some compelling, lively wines with a unique profile that is 100% Burgundy but also unlike anything else. The owl is the symbol of the city of Dijon. The famous chouette is sculpted into the chapel of Notre-Dame de Dijon. Local legend says that if you rub the owl with your left hand while making a wish it will come true.

Vineyard name:En Bessy, in the hills outside Dijon
Soil type:Clay-limestone, with marl underneath
Vine age:40 years old
Vineyard size:.33hectares
Exposition:Southern exposure, 370m
Vinification:Hand Harvested, native yeast fermentation entirely in barrel with no added SO2. minimal to no racking.
Elevage:18months in used barrels, bottles unfined and unfiltered

About the winemaker: In 2013, Marc Soyard was chosen by the City of Dijon to take over the Domaine de la Cras, which the city had recently acquired to preserve open space. Marc was given free reign to live on-site at the domaine, tend to the vineyards, and produce and sell his own wines, under the condition that he pay a yearly rent in bottles to the city of Dijon. Originally from a non-winemaking family in the Jura, Marc worked for six years at Domaine Bizot in Vosne Romane as chef de culture (vineyard manager), while also working in the cellar closely with Jean-Yves Bizot to learn the winemaking process. Marc has adapted the same precise hands-off, natural Winemaker : Marc Soyard Region: Burgundy Location: Plombires-ls-Dijon philosophy to Domaine de la Cras that he learned at Domaine Bizot, and has reinvigorated this overlooked terroir at the northern edge of the Cte dOr with his incredible energy and well-balanced wines.