Charles Dufour 'Bulles de Comptoir' Champagne AOC Extra Brut NV

Charles Dufour began making champagne in Landreville in the Aube in 2006, working with conventional methods at first, but soon switching entirely to organic viticulture by 2010. His wines are authentic reflections of the terroir of the Côte des Bars, and are fermented spontaneously and made without additional sulfur. Dosage is very low (liqueur de tirage is a blend of Dufour’s own wine and cane sugar), yeast used for secondary fermentation comes from his own vineyards, and none of the wines are ever fined or filtered. He also uses pinot blanc in his cuvées, particularly in this ‘Bulles de Comptoir’ bottling. ‘Bulles de Comptoir’ is Dufour’s flagship champagne, with fruit from three different vineyards on the calcareous clay soils in the Vallée de l’Ource. The cépage is 60% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay, and 10% pinot blanc, with 80% of the wine from the 2021 vintage, with 15% coming from a réserve perpétuelle containing vintages 2010-2020, and the last 5% coming from Dufour’s especially unique large foudre of réserve perpétuelle, vintages 1982-2009. <2g/L dosage, extra brut level, disgorged January 2024. Expect soft notes of white peach and yellow cherry; ephemeral and otherwordly orchard fruit shimmer on the finish. Crisp, with well-managed acidity and persistent bubbles that’ll give your nose a subtle tickle. Flirty, fun, ready to be popped. Certified organic, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.