Making up the southern part of the Champagne wine region, the vineyards of the Aube were for many years sidelined and even despised by the producers of the Marne, to the point where a violent winegrowers' revolt broke out in 1911.

The Côte des Bar, and in particular the vineyards near Bar-sur-Seine, have finally come into their own thanks to the quality of their terroirs - with clay-limestone soils that are particularly propicious to growing Pinot - and the high standards set by a generation of Aube winegrowers who, like Charles Dufour, now stand out for their dynamism and desire for authenticity. Based in Landreville in the Ource valley, Charles Dufour took over the reins of the family vineyard in 2010 by converting it to organic farming. With 6 hectares of vines, plus his mother, Françoise Martinot's vines, Charles produces a range of champagnes with a very free, personal style, as well as rarer ‘still’ wines from the Coteaux-Champenois appellation.

Bearing Charles Dufour's label but made from vines of Pinot Noir belonging to his mother, Françoise Martinot: a Blanc de Noirs from the Côte des Bar harvested in 2019, bottled in November 2020, matured for 40 months and disgorged in April 2024. Unfined, this champagne is marked by intense, complex aromas, a full, vinous texture with a subtle spiced, oxidative nuance, and a long, mineral finish.