Champagne's Biodynamic Poet
Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz is one of the most exciting grower estates in Champagne — a 7-hectare biodynamic domaine in Crouttes-sur-Marne, on the banks of the Marne River halfway between Paris and Reims. Jérôme Bourgeois-Diaz is a fourth-generation vigneron who did not always intend to make wine. After a career in industrial sales in Niort, he returned to his family's vineyards in 2001 when his mother began producing her own bottles rather than selling grapes to the big houses. His first vintage was a disaster — musts struggling to reach 8.5° potential alcohol — but two mentors changed his path: René Duclos, a wine merchant who championed small producers, and Pierre Masson, the biodynamic specialist whose teachings ignited a radical transformation. By 2009, Jérôme had converted to organic farming; by 2012, full biodynamics; and in 2015, Demeter certification was achieved. His wife Charlotte, whom he met in 2007 when the estate was still conventional, joined full-time from the 2015 harvest. Today, their vineyards are an oasis of green in a sea of conventional farming — wild plants intersperse the rows, herbal teas and fermented plant extracts replace chemicals, and all work is done by hand following Pierre Masson's lunar calendar. In the cellar, a traditional Coquard press from 1924 requires three people to operate, and native yeasts ferment the wines in a combination of stainless steel, neutral oak, and concrete. Most cuvées are Brut Nature (zero dosage), with no synthetic sulfur and minimal natural sulfur added only at crush time. These are Champagnes of remarkable purity, energy, and terroir transparency — wines that prove the Vallée de la Marne can produce expressions of elegance and intrigue that rival the Montagne de Reims.
The Prodigal Son Returns
Jérôme Bourgeois-Diaz did not grow up dreaming of Champagne. As a young man, he helped his parents in the vineyard but found it boring — "he wanted to work in the trade," as he later admitted. He left for a career in industrial sales in Niort, far from the Marne Valley. But in 2001, his mother made a pivotal decision: rather than selling the family's grapes to the big houses, she would begin producing her own bottles. Jérôme, "stung by curiosity," returned home. His first harvest, in his own words, was "dreadful; the musts struggled to reach 8.5°." It was a crash course in the reality of winemaking [^64^][^67^].
Two figures changed everything. René Duclos, a wine merchant from Val d'Oise known for championing small producers, encouraged Jérôme to push further — to think beyond conventional Champagne and explore organic viticulture. Then came Pierre Masson, the renowned French biodynamic specialist. Jérôme discovered Masson's teachings and "got caught up in the game." What began as an experiment became a conviction. By 2009, the estate was converting to organic; by 2012, full biodynamics were in place; and in 2015, Demeter certification was achieved — a rare distinction in Champagne [^59^][^64^].
Charlotte Bourgeois entered the picture in 2007, when the estate was still conventional. After completing an agricultural diploma, she dedicated herself fully to the Maison de Champagne from the 2015 harvest, handling marketing and operations while Jérôme focused on the vines and cellar. Together, they represent a new generation of Champagne growers: rooted in family history but radical in their approach, committed to terroir expression over brand consistency, and unafraid to let nature lead [^70^].
"Wine is not created by chemistry, but by alchemy."
— Jérôme Bourgeois-Diaz
Crouttes-sur-Marne, The Western Marne
The estate's 7 hectares are scattered across 30 parcels around Crouttes-sur-Marne and neighbouring communes — Nanteuil-sur-Marne and Villiers-Saint-Denis — at the extreme western end of the Vallée de la Marne. This is Pinot Meunier country: the clay-limestone soils and south-western exposures favour the variety's late-budding, early-ripening character, making it resilient in a region prone to frost. The vines average 35–40 years of age, with some parcels dating back to 1925 and 1960 [^58^][^61^].
The soils are predominantly clay and limestone over calcareous bedrock — the classic Champagne terroir, but with a distinct western Marne character that Jérôme describes as more mineral than the wines of his friend Benoît Dehu in nearby Fossoy. The vineyards are an oasis of green: native wild plants intersperse the rows, creating biodiversity corridors that attract beneficial insects and improve soil health. No herbicides, no pesticides, no synthetic fertilisers. To reduce copper and sulfur use, Jérôme applies herbal teas and fermented plant extracts — nettle, comfrey, and other biodynamic preparations [^58^][^63^].
All vineyard work is done by hand, with careful attention to Pierre Masson's lunar calendar. Harvest is manual into small crates, and the fruit undergoes a severe selection process — only the best parcels are vinified for the estate's Champagnes. Vines on the edges of parcels, affected by neighbouring conventional farming, are picked separately and sold to the big houses. This radical commitment to purity means lower yields but uncompromising quality. "When you make wine biodynamically, you are giving up control. You acknowledge on day one that nature is in charge, and you are the ward," Jérôme says. "It teaches you humbleness, but also a much more intense pride" [^59^][^67^].
A parcel in Nanteuil-sur-Marne planted in the 1960s, providing the Pinot Noir for the BD'N cuvée. The old vines on clay-limestone soils produce grapes of unusual concentration and finesse for the western Marne. This is where the estate's reds achieve their most structured, muscular expression — a testament to the potential of Pinot Noir in a region dominated by Meunier.
A single lieu-dit called "Le Temple" with unique calcareous marl soils, dedicated to Chardonnay. The name suggests a place of worship, and Jérôme treats it as such. This parcel produces the BD'B Blanc de Blancs — a wine of surprising tension and fine bitter tang, with the finesse of Chardonnay presented in an ample, almost Burgundian style. The calcareous marl gives the wine its distinctive mineral backbone.
Two of the estate's oldest parcels, planted in 1925 and 1960 on loamy soils, provide the Pinot Meunier for the BD'M and BD'RS cuvées. These ancient vines produce tiny yields of intensely flavoured fruit — the kind of raw material that makes zero-dosage Champagne possible. The 1925 parcel in particular is a living museum of pre-phylloxera viticulture, with vines that have witnessed nearly a century of Marne Valley history.
The estate's 30 parcels are vinified separately as micro-ferments, allowing Jérôme to capture the distinct personality of each site before blending. This is labour-intensive and demanding, but it is the foundation of the domaine's terroir-driven approach. Some parcels are fermented in stainless steel, others in oak, others in concrete — each vessel chosen to amplify the specific character of the fruit. The result is Champagnes of unusual complexity and site-specificity.
Alchemy, Not Chemistry
Jérôme Bourgeois-Diaz's cellar work is an extension of his biodynamic philosophy: minimal intervention, maximum transparency. The centrepiece is a traditional Coquard press from 1924 — a machine so labour-intensive that it requires three people to operate at all times. The technique of retrousse — carefully rearranging the grapes after every couple of pressings — ensures gentle, gradual extraction of the juice. It is slow, painstaking, and absolutely non-negotiable. "A slow process, but one that Jérôme deems absolutely necessary," as one importer noted [^59^][^65^].
Fermentation is entirely natural. Indigenous yeasts drive the process in a combination of stainless steel tanks (40–66%), neutral oak barrels (20–50%), and concrete eggs (30%). No chemical yeasts, no synthetic sulfur, no chaptalisation. Natural sulfur is added only at crush time, and in most vintages, no SO2 is added at bottling — a radical approach in Champagne, where sulfur is typically used liberally to ensure stability. The wines are not fined or filtered, preserving the natural sediment and lees that contribute to texture and complexity [^59^][^63^].
Dosage is the final statement of intent. Most cuvées are Brut Nature — zero grams per litre of sugar added at disgorgement. When dosage is used, it never exceeds 4g/L. This is Champagne without makeup: the wine speaks for itself, unadorned by the sweetness that often masks flaws in lesser bottles. The result can seem austere at first, but the reward is a purity of fruit and minerality that builds with air. "Seemingly a little austere at first, it's full of surprise with juicy fruit and an earthiness that's at once deep and light," wrote one critic of the 3C [^61^].
Ageing varies by cuvée. The standard range sees a minimum of 24 months on lees before disgorgement — already well above the legal minimum of 15 months. The Collection range, including the 3C Collection, rests for 48 months or more, developing the biscuity, honeyed complexity that only extended lees contact can provide. Jérôme's patience is evident in every bottle: these are Champagnes that unfold slowly, revealing new layers with each sip [^59^][^65^].
The Coquard Press — Three People, One Purpose
The traditional Coquard press is Jérôme's pride and joy — and his most demanding tool. Manufactured by the same company since 1924, this vertical press requires constant manual attention. Three people work it simultaneously: one feeds the grapes, one operates the mechanism, and one performs the retrousse — the careful rearrangement of the marc between pressings to ensure even extraction. It is a ballet of coordination and patience, producing juice of extraordinary clarity and delicacy. Modern pneumatic presses can handle the same volume in a fraction of the time, but Jérôme would not consider it. "The results are worth waiting for," he says. And they are: the Champagnes that emerge from this process have a finesse and purity of texture that mechanical pressing cannot replicate. This is alchemy, not chemistry — wine made by human hands, human attention, and human time.
Rising Star, Old Soul
In just over two decades, Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz has transformed from a struggling family estate into one of the most talked-about grower Champagnes in the world. Jérôme's wines have received "a huge amount of great press in the last few years," and he is now firmly established as one of Champagne's rising stars — though his methods are arguably the most old-school in the region. The contrast is deliberate: radical farming, traditional techniques, and a refusal to compromise have produced wines of remarkable refinement [^63^][^64^].
What distinguishes Bourgeois-Diaz from other natural Champagne producers is the combination of biodynamic rigour and classical elegance. These are not rustic, funky wines — they are precise, mineral, and beautifully structured. The oak integration is masterfully subtle, adding complexity without weight. The Pinot Meunier shows its rounded, smoky qualities; the Pinot Noir displays red fruit and muscle; the Chardonnay contributes citrus and finesse. Each cuvée reflects its cepage and its terroir with unusual clarity [^63^].
The estate's future is in the hands of Jérôme and Charlotte, partners in life and in wine. Their two children represent a potential fifth generation, though the couple is careful not to pressure them. For now, the focus is on constant improvement: refining the biodynamic preparations, experimenting with new vessels (concrete eggs have recently joined the cellar), and extending the ageing periods for top cuvées. The 2018 introduction of a still red wine — a Côteaux Champenois — marked a new frontier, proving that the Marne Valley can produce still wines of character as well as sparkling wines of distinction [^67^].
"When you make wine biodynamically, you are giving up control. You acknowledge on day one that nature is in charge, and you are the ward. It teaches you humbleness, but also a much more intense pride."
— Jérôme Bourgeois-Diaz
The Bourgeois-Diaz Range
All wines are farmed biodynamically (Demeter certified), hand-harvested into small crates, pressed in a traditional Coquard press, fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, oak, and/or concrete, aged on lees, and disgorged with zero or minimal dosage (0–4g/L). No synthetic sulfur, no chemical yeasts, no chaptalisation, no fining, no filtration. The range is divided into two categories: the standard cuvées (minimum 24 months ageing) and the Collection range (48+ months ageing). In 2018, the estate introduced its first still red wine, a Côteaux Champenois [^59^][^61^].