Jérôme Bourgeois-Diaz is a 4th generation vigneron who has been making some of the most compelling Champagne in Crouttes-sur-Marne, on the banks of the Marne River halfway between Paris and Reims.
Care is taken during the harvest to adhere to Pierre Masson’s lunar calendar and all vineyard work is done by hand. His practices are easily the most old-school approach to viticulture in the region that we know of.
Jérôme takes great pride in his traditional Coquard Champagne press, a company that has been making them since 1924. Using this machine is incredibly labor-intensive (but crucial for gentle extraction of the grape juice) and involves three people working it at all times and carefully rearranging the grapes after every couple pressings in a technique called retrousse. It is a slow process, but one that Jérôme deems absolutely necessary. This philosophy of making wine the hard way extends to the cellar.
This "BD'3C" bottling comes from various estate plots (total of 7ha of vines that average 35 years of age 3ha Pinot Meunier, 2ha Pinot Noir, and 2ha Chardonnay) in the clay and limestone soils the region is known for. Jérôme is deeply committed to biodynamic farming, having gained certification by Demeter in 2015, meaning herbicides, fungicides, and all other sprayings are strictly prohibited. He allows for native, wild plants to intersperse the rows, which make his vineyards look like an oasis of green in an otherwise conventionally farmed area.
This is everything you want in Champagne - a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier it’s fresh, balanced, and red fruited. With no dosage, it manages to be refreshingly dry without being overly acidic. As a bonus, this is biodynamic wine, a feat in chilly, damp Champagne where growers have traditionally used pesticides.
Delicate, both in color and taste, youthful exuberance followed by a more complex finish. This is beautifully balanced wine and just simply great grower juice.
region: Crouttes-sur Marne, Champagne, France
varietal: 55% Pinot Noir, 25 % Pinot Meunier & 20 % Chardonnay
style: sparkling (Champagne method)
farming & cellar: Certified Biodynamic (Demeter), hand harvested, ambient yeast, fermented in combo of steel & neutral oak, each varietal vinified separately and then blended before bottling, aged 24 months on lees, no dosage, disgorged 07/06/22, minimal added so2
pairs well with cheese + fruit boards as well as desserts to finish your meal.
