Domaine de la Cras - Marc Soyard

In 2013, the city of Dijon purchased a 160-hectare agricultural property with an existing winery facility called Domaine de la Cras. The estate included 8 hectares of vineyards (5 hectares of Pinot Noir and 3 hectares of Chardonnay) classified as Bourgogne AOC, though the estate is uniquely permitted to use the designation Coteaux de Dijon on its labels.

To revive the historic land, the city sought a talented young winemaker with no existing family estate who would commit to organic farming. They appointed Marc Soyard, who had spent six years gaining meticulous experience as the vineyard manager for Jean-Yves Bizot at the legendary Domaine Bizot in Vosne-Romanée. The city offered Soyard a highly unconventional rent arrangement: rather than paying cash, his yearly rent is paid entirely in wine—exactly 2,000 bottles delivered annually to the City of Dijon. In exchange, he was given free rein to live on-site, manage the estate, and produce his own personal wines using the facilities.

Soyard brought Bizot’s hands-off, natural style to the domaine. He manages the vineyards organically and biodynamically, employing native yeasts, partial or 100% whole-cluster fermentation for reds, and little to no sulfur dioxide (SO2).

His production at Domaine de la Cras is anchored by three distinct tiers:

• The "Coteaux" Cuvées: The entry-level Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge, sourced from the lower-elevation plots.

• The Flagship "Cras" Monopole: Sourced from steeper, high-exposure parcels. These structured wines undergo longer aging (élevage) and rival prestigious village-level Burgundy in complexity.

• L’Équilibriste: A radical natural cuvée made entirely sans soufre (without added sulfur). The red is made from a single Pinot Noir clone, while the white is a vibrant blend of young Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc vines.

Signature Micro-Cuvées: Hermaïon & Montre Cul

Beyond the city-owned estate, Soyard utilizes his freedom under the rental agreement to bottle ultra-confidential micro-cuvées. While Montre Cul belongs to the historic urban vineyards under the city of Dijon’s umbrella, Hermaïon is an ultra-exclusive estate bottling from a personal parcel further south.

1. Hermaïon (Bourgogne Rouge)

While Soyard is famous for managing the city's Domaine de la Cras, Hermaïon is born from a tiny, private parcel of old vines that he personally owns.

• The Terroir: The fruit is sourced from a single, tiny plot located further south in the Côte d’Or near Ladoix-Serrigny, resting on dense clay soils. The parcel is populated by remarkable 70-year-old vines, which inherently yield low quantities of deeply concentrated fruit.

• The Winemaking: True to his Bizot training, Soyard vinifies Hermaïon with minimal intervention. It is fermented with wild yeasts and bottled completely unfined and unfiltered.

• The Profile: It is characterized by vibrant energy, bright acidity, dark cherry fruit, and a distinct mineral-saline finish.

2. Bourgogne Montre Cul

Montre Cul (sometimes spelled Montrecul or en Montre-Cul) is one of the most historically fascinating—and amusing—vineyards in Burgundy.

• The Cheeky History: Translated literally from French, Montre Cul means "show your backside". The vineyard sits on an incredibly steep, 13% east-facing slope at the northernmost edge of the Côte de Nuits, right on the city limits of Dijon. According to local lore, when historic grape-pickers (historically women) bent over to work the vines, anyone standing at the bottom of the steep hill got a much more revealing view than they bargained for!

• The Label Quirk ("Montre-Luc"): If you ever track down a bottle of Soyard's Montre Cul from a vintage prior to 2022, you will notice the label actually reads "Montre-Luc". This was not a typo. When Soyard initially took over the parcel, a paperwork filing error with the French wine authorities prevented him from legally using the official protected name. Showing his signature sense of humor, he anagrammed it to "Montre-Luc" until the administrative error was corrected for the 2022 vintage onward.

• The Profile: Soyard's small parcel sits at the very top, steepest section of this 4-hectare vineyard. The soil here is lighter, well-drained limestone and clay. He uses a high percentage of whole-cluster carbonic maceration (around 70%) and ages it in old oak. The resulting wine is beautifully aromatic, tense, and wild, offering notes of ripe black fruits, rose petals, and savory wood spice.