Francoise Martinot - "Bistrotage" Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Noirs "B.17" 750ml (12% ABV)
Charles Dufour side project, named for his mother ( Francoise Martinot), she harvests her own vineyards in Landerville, and made from her plots
100% Pinot Noir vinified white from clayey- calcercous terroir in vallée d’arce (Côte du bar)
base vintage is 2017 plus reserve wine
sourced from 3 Lieu dits: Bicheret, Les Copies, Val Herard
Dosage is extremely low as well, sometimes only 2g/liter. The Liqueur de tirage is a blend of his own wine and cane sugar and the yeasts used in the secondary fermentation are derived from his own vineyards.
we love blanc de noir champagne, especially from this young grower/producer from a storied family. toasty, generous, sophisticated, very fine and persistent bead, subtle red fruit, strawberry puff pastry, cassis, ocean spray, apples, crushed stone, dry memorable finish.
about the producer
Charles Dufour is a breakout success in the world of natural wine, he represents a new generation of small vignerons. On top of his own vineyards, which are bottled under the Bulles de Comptoir label, since 2010 he has been making wines from some of his family's vineyards situated in Celles-sur-Ource under his mother's name, Françoise Martinot.
Charles employs a biodynamic approach, quite the challenge in this region's marginal and unpredictable climate. In the cellar produces his vin clair using native yeasts, raising the wine in barrels and avoiding the use of sulfites altogether. He opts for extensive aging on the lees to yield complex, engaging champagnes with beautiful character.
Dufour is a young grower, farming 6 certified organic hectares.... many of those parcels planted by his grandfather, wrought old vines creating wildly complex, albeit small production wines. All wines are certified organic since 2010 when he also started biodynamic farming....His style definitely favors the oxidative over the reductive, and his wines can go so far as to be described as chewy, in the best way; bottle age and time in a glass or decanter is always beneficial to these styles of wines, as the natural freshness of his amazing vineyards provides a spark to the first taste of opulence..."
region: Côte du bar, champagne
varietal: Pinot noir
style: method champenoise (blanc de noirs)
farming/cellar: certifed organic , biodynamic practices, native yeast, no added so2, base wine ferments in combo of steel and oak and then 2nd fermentation aged 4+ years on the lees in bottle, unfined, unfiltered
pairing: dominos thin crust