Bourgeois Diaz

The History of Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz

Born in 1977, Jérôme Bourgeois-Diaz is the fourth generation of winegrowers on his father’s side. Unlike his ancestors, who followed the established path of conventional Champagne viticulture, Jérôme chose to do things differently. Before taking over the family estate, he worked in industrial sales, then succeeded his father in 2001. This return to his roots involved a profound reassessment of inherited practices.

Inspired by his Spanish heritage on his mother’s side, his curiosity and his conviction that chemicals have no place in the glass, Jérôme oversaw a gradual but determined transition in his first years at the helm. He converted the estate to organic farming in 2001, followed by biodynamic farming in 2009. This bold decision in an appellation as tightly regulated as Champagne would permanently transform the estate’s identity.

His wife Charlotte joined the estate in 2016 and now plays an important supervisory role, helping to improve the quality of the champagnes. Together, they make a complementary pair: he is a hands-on winegrower driven by intuition and exacting standards; she ensures the consistency and rising quality of every cuvée. 

Terroirs and Vines of Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz

The Bourgeois-Diaz vineyard covers 6.80 hectares, with 3.5 hectares planted to Pinot Meunier, 2 to Pinot Noir and 1.3 to Chardonnay. The vines average 40 years of age and root in clay, silt and chalk soils. Some old-vine Pinot Meunier plots are around 60 years old, growing in clay-silt soils that give them particularly expressive depth and savory character.

The estate occupies an unusual position within the Champagne wine region: it lies at the region’s far western edge, in an area less celebrated than the Montagne de Reims or the Côte des Blancs, but with undeniable terroir richness. The slopes overlooking the Marne enjoy favorable exposure, while the varied subsoils—clay, silt, gypsum and chalk, depending on the plot—give the different cuvées contrasting yet complementary personalities.

Demeter biodynamic certification, obtained in 2015, strictly prohibits the use of herbicides, fungicides and any other synthetic treatments. Biodynamic preparations 500P, applied twice a year, and 501, applied three to four times a year, are combined with low doses of copper and sulfur, horsetail decoctions, and infusions of nettle, willow and meadowsweet. Native wild vegetation is encouraged between the rows, creating an oasis of biodiversity within the vineyard.

Most work is done by hand, vine by vine, to give the vines as much attention as possible. This explains why the estate employs nearly one person per hectare year-round. Harvesting is entirely manual, carried out by a loyal team familiar with the terroir and the estate’s ethos. The bunches are picked at optimal ripeness and carefully sorted so that only grapes in perfect condition are made into wine.

Winemaking at Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz

Jérôme Bourgeois-Diaz’s approach in the cellar is a natural extension of his work in the vineyard: rigor, patience and a refusal to take technological shortcuts. He takes great pride in his traditional Coquard press, a piece of equipment manufactured since 1924. Operating it is extremely labor-intensive: it requires three people at all times and careful rearrangement of the grapes after each pressing, using a technique called retrousse. This slow process ensures gentle extraction that respects the quality of the juice.

Each grape variety and plot is pressed separately. Just 2 grams of sulfur per hectoliter are added as the juice runs off the press. The juice then rests for around ten hours before being racked and allowed to ferment. All the wines ferment with native yeasts present on the grapes, in a combination of stainless steel tanks and neutral wood. Sulfur is avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Malolactic fermentation then occurs spontaneously. Jérôme and Charlotte Bourgeois-Diaz enjoy experimenting with different vessels during winemaking: stainless steel tanks, barrels, demi-muids, large oak casks, stoneware eggs and jars, and amphorae. The wines remain on their lees until spring, without fining or filtration, so they can express themselves freely.

All grapes are made into wine separately by plot and grape variety, then blended before bottling. Most champagnes age in bottle for two to three years; the vintage champagne ages for more than five years. This extended bottle aging gives the wines aromatic depth, complexity and finesse that clearly distinguish them from champagnes made by négociants. 

The Cuvées of Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz

BD’3C – Three Grape Varieties, Brut Nature

The quintessential blended cuvée, BD’3C faithfully reflects the estate’s grape varieties. It brings together all the estate’s terroirs, using grapes from two harvest years depending on the vintages, to create a fruit-forward, easy-drinking champagne. Delicate in both color and flavor, it offers exuberant youth followed by an orderly, complex finish. Blend: 35% Pinot Meunier, 40% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay. Average aging: 24 months. With no dosage or added liqueur d’expédition, this brut nature champagne frankly expresses the signature of Crouttes-sur-Marne’s clay-chalk soils.

BD’M – 100% Meunier, Brut Nature

The BD’M cuvée comes from old Pinot Meunier vines around 60 years of age, planted in clay-silt soils that give it freshness and savory character. Elegant bergamot aromas add nuance to this cuvée, arguably the most focused in the range. Its direct, exhilarating flavor maintains a sense of harmony. Blend: 100% Pinot Meunier. Average aging: 30 months. Part of the wine is made in oak barrels, lending a subtle, integrated oak note that complements the cuvée’s delicate texture. 

BD’N – Blanc de Noirs, Brut Nature

BD’N is a rich, powerful champagne made for the table. It brings together Champagne’s two dark-skinned grape varieties to produce an energetic champagne lifted by delicate lemon notes, rooted in the earth and reaching for the stars. Current blend: 60% Pinot Meunier, 40% Pinot Noir. Average aging: 30 months. This blanc de noirs with no dosage reveals the deep minerality of the estate’s clay-chalk terroirs and is wonderfully suited to fine dining.

BD’RS – Rosé de Saignée, Brut Nature

The BD’RS cuvée blends grapes from two old plots: Pinot Meunier from “Chapelles” and Pinot Noir from “Bien Aimées,” grown on gypsum-rich clay-silt soils. After around twenty hours of maceration, this cuvée offers grapefruit notes, followed on the palate by a refreshing, enticing bitterness. Blend: 30% Pinot Meunier, 70% Pinot Noir. Average aging: 24 months. With its salmon hues and fine bubbles, this brut nature rosé de saignée is one of the appellation’s most distinctive rosé champagnes, favoring tension and depth over easy charm.

BD’B – Blanc de Blancs

The estate’s only 100% Chardonnay cuvée, BD’B embodies the delicate minerality of Crouttes-sur-Marne’s chalky terroirs. Made with the same rigor as the other cuvées, using native yeasts and without fining or filtration, it has an airy, taut profile with notes of citrus and white flowers, followed by the saline finish characteristic of great Champagne blanc de blancs. A champagne of pure elegance, ideal as an aperitif or with seafood.