Charles Dufour & Francoise Martinot Bistrotage FF.10

Charles Dufour
Price:$215.00

Grape: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2013
Type: Sparkling

This single-parcel red grape Champagne represents the pinnacle allocation of the Dufour-Martinot natural wine collaboration in the Côte des Bar. Winemaker Charles Dufour harvests the pinot noir by hand from his mother's organic family vineyard, bypassing multi-parcel blending protocols. The base wine undergoes a low-intervention spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts and ages in neutral barrels without added sulfur. It then matures on its side for over a decade in the cellar before being disgorged with zero dosage.

It pours a pale amber-gold color, opening with complex aromatics of yellow orchard fruit, warm pastry, and toasted hazelnuts. The palate is medium-to-full-bodied and physical, showcasing a waxy texture balanced by a sharp beam of mineral acidity. Savory flavors of preserved citrus and salted almond wrap around a textured mouthfeel reminiscent of mature white Burgundy. The long aging process provides a solid structural baseline across mid-palate.

Charles Dufour is a highly respected grower-producer of natural Champagne in the Côte des Bar region of southern Champagne, France. Taking over from his family in 2010, Charles quickly adopted organic and biodynamic farming practices, which are challenging in the region's climate. He is known for crafting authentic, terroir-driven Champagnes with a minimalist approach in the cellar. Dufour uses only native yeasts for fermentation, performs long lees aging, and adds minimal to no sulfur. The wines are unfined and unfiltered, expressing the purity of the fruit and terroir.