Champagne Extra Dry
L'Âme de la Terre 2008

Françoise Bedel is a small domaine born in 1979 in the pretty village of Crouttes-sur-Marne. The vineyards have a long tradition of Meunier, representing around 80% of the 9 hectares, aged betwwen 20 and 60. For Françoise Bedel, the terroir features are crucial to give every Champagne its footprint, so in 1982 she started to follow the organic principles and in 2006 she obtained the biodynamic certification.

Founded in 1957 in Crouttes-sur-Marne, Domaine Françoise Bedel stands as one of the most authentic voices of biodynamic Champagne. The estate was established by Fernand and Marie-Louise Bedel, who began cultivating the soils between Aisne and Marne. In the 1970s, their daughter Françoise joined the family business and, between 1979 and 1982, took over its leadership. Today, the 10-hectare vineyard stretches across Crouttes-sur-Marne, Nanteuil, Charly-sur-Marne, and Villiers-Saint-Denis—areas particularly suited to Meunier, the estate’s signature grape variety.

She vinifies in polished tanks and only 5% of the wine rests in oak barrels, in order to obtain a final richness through a controlled micro-oxydation, then transferred to the Champagne. All wines age in the bottle for a significant amount of years, to let the wine develop its aromatic complexity.

The turning point came in the 1990s, when Françoise Bedel discovered biodynamics following personal experiences linked to her son’s health. From that revelation emerged an agricultural philosophy centered on the vital energy of the soil and the balance between vine and environment. Since 1998, the entire vineyard has been certified biodynamic, with low yields and manual work. In the cellar, the family favors enameled tanks and oak barrels, long aging on lees, and minimal or no dosage, to express the purity of the fruit and the mineral transparency of the terroir.

Today the estate is run together with Vincent Desaubeau, Françoise’s son, oenologist and technical director since 2003, who combines technical expertise with a contemporary sensibility. His contribution has strengthened the original style while bringing greater precision and interpretive depth. With Meunier as its defining variety (about 70–80% of the vineyards), complemented by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the Champagnes of Françoise Bedel merge density and tension, substance and light, expressing with authenticity and vibrant energy the truest face of the Vallée de la Marne.