Champagne Francoise Bedel et Fils
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Franciose Bedel and her son |
Country of Origin: France
Location: Crouttes-sur-Marne
People: Francoise Bedel, Owner & Winemaker
Françoise Bedel is a "Grande Dame" of the biodynamic movement in Champagne. Her little estate is located in Crouttes-sur Marne, in the extreme western reaches of Champagne. The single most particular thing about this Bedel is that they bottle their vintage wine with out a vintage designation! Françoise rarely calls a vintage. She prefers instead to impress customers with her non-vintage wines, almost all of which actually come from a single year's fruit. No cultured yeast is used and Francoise insists that the wild yeast present in the vineyard add to the character. She is one of the few growers represented in the United States who grow their own fruit and make their own wine.
In the 1990's she began the conversion to organic and then biodynamic agriculture realizing she was destroying her vineyards with synthetic products. She prepares her own treatments and remains one of the leaders of this movement in Champagne. Her south and southeast facing vineyards are worked year round by her son Vincent and not a drop of non-organic treatments have been used on the vines since 1997. She tells Peter Liem that she's noticed a change in her wines: "There's a certain rectilinear character, a structure in the wines now...there's a more intimate feeling in the flavors that connects the wine and the tasters, and the wines are more profound in expression." In 2002 Françoise was accepted as a member of BIODYVIN, a group of 90 winemakers throughout France whose properties are farmed entirely biodynamically.
One of the biggest advocates of the Pinot Meunier grape, Francoise's holdings are primarily made up of this varietal now, and it features highly in her bottlings. Every part of the harvest is performed by hand in small baskets. The wines pass into oak barrels before being bottled and are given a very light dosage. The vintage and non-vintage wines both benefit from a tremendous amount of bottle age before release. The entry level wine doesn't leave the cave until five years after harvest-this is for a non-vintage!
The Wine Advocate 11/2013
"Françoise Bedel’s achievements represent one more among numerous recent demonstrations that long- or even perpetually neglected sectors of Champagne – in her case, the Marne Valley’s Meunier-rich western fringe-can set off vinous fireworks. Bedel has been farming entirely biodynamically for fifteen years, and has become quite well-known for her advocacy of that regimen. An inexpensive entry-level cuvée is absent from her portfolio; but then, she not only works in an extremely meticulous and labor-intensive way, she also releases no wine sooner than five years after its harvest."
Media Links
HOGSALT: Françoise Bedel: Changing the Landscape of Champagne
ChampagneGuide.net: Francoise Bedel
Social Media
Françoise Bedel Facebook
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| Current Items from Champagne Francoise Bedel et Fils |
| Cat # |
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Pack-Size |
Net |
Reviews |
| 2042 |
Champagne Francoise Bedel et Fils NV 'Dis, Vin Secret' Brut, Champagne AOC |
6-750 |
$300 |
WA 92 IWC 92 |
| 1289 |
Champagne Francoise Bedel et Fils NV 'Entre Ciel et Terre' Brut, Champagne AOC |
6-750 |
$360 |
IWC 90 WS 92 WA 93 |
| 6178 |
Champagne Francoise Bedel et Fils 2003 'L'Ame de la Terre' Extra Brut, Champagne AOC |
6-750 |
$360 |
WA 91 |
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