2010 Charles Dufour & Françoise Martinot Vin Blanc Bicheret

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 93 points

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  5/25/2021 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points

  A still blanc de noirs from Pinot Noir, made by Françoise Martinot with the help of her son, Charles Dufour. Lot number V.10/548 - I assume this means vintage (or vin?) 2010 and 548 bottles? 10,5% alcohol.
  
  Pale straw yellow color. Very open, characterful and rather wild nose that reminds me more of old-school Gueuze Lambic than Coteaux Champenois. Funky aromas of crunchy green apples, bretty leather, some savory woody notes, a little bit of Band-Aid, light creamy notes, spicy hints of vanilla and smoky phenolic spice and a sweeter touch of ripe yellow fruits. Very intense, racy and acid-driven on the palate with a medium body and crunchy flavors of tart lemons and green apples, some funky and leathery notes of brett, a little bit of steely minerality, light waxy tones, a mineral hint of tangy salinity and a touch of peanut butter. The bracing acidity lends tremendous intensity and sense of structure to the wine, making it feel almost electric. The finish is long, lemony and somewhat wild with complex flavors of tart green apples, some tangy salinity, a little bit of apple peel bitterness, light creamy notes of oak, a bretty hint of leather and a touch of sweet, exotic spice.
  
  This was just excellent stuff. It might not sound particularly attractive, if I describe the wine like a blend of Champagne and Gueuze Lambic from which the bubbles have disappeared, but this is exactly like that - and not in a bad way! Even though the wine comes from the mediocre 2010 vintage, this still wine works just damn well and although the fruit feels like it has just reached the lowest level of reasonable ripeness, the wine still feels ripe enough and not unripe, weedy or lacking in any way. Proponents of squaky-clean wines might shun away from the obvious brett influence of the wine, but to me it just managed to immingle wonderfully with the bright, crunchy fruit flavors and contribute to the complexity instead of obfuscating any fruit expression. The wine is surprisingly youthful for a Coteaux Champenois at 11 years of age, so I can imagine it will continue to improve for years more. If I love well-made, funky and rustic Lambics, I have no reason not to love wines that taste the same! Highly recommended to the fans of funky whites.

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