Who are the Fa´Bulleuses ? ‘Lés Fa’Bulleuses’ (English – Fa’Bulous) consist of seven female Champagne producers who last year decided to start a and the first wine association of winemakers in Champagne in order to share their passion for ‘bubbles’, and also to share and exchange experiences and challenges they have has Champagne producers. They have all 7 separate, individual Champagne brands but for this occasion they have come together as one group – the Fa’Bulleuses – or the Fa’Bulous!
Their name and their respective brand are:
‘Every morning you have 2 choices. Either you keep dreaming in your bed or you wake up to make your dreams come true.’
Laurene Baillette – Champagne Baillette-Prudhomme
LAURENCE ON CHAMPAGNE BAILLETTE – PRUDHOMME My father left us the memory of being a man of ideas. He was constantly looking for improvement. In the same spirit we are committed to working with passion to produce elegant wines. Our femininity and our modernity are noticeable through our PINK colorful equipments of course. There is no mistake, we are in a female world! In our job we let our instinct and the sensorial dimension prevail, giving birth to wines full of sensibility. I love making Champagne and the frenzy of its delicate bubbles !
Particularités des Vins | Our Champagnes are elaborated from precious reserve wines aged in oak barrels or from our perpetual reserve based on the solera system. Our Rosé de Saignée is elaborated from the maceration of the Pinot Noir. This wine has a deep red color with shimmering clarity and generous fruity aromas. Each bottle patiently ages in our beautiful chalky cellars, the witness of our history.
‘Time will tell…’
Hélène Beaugrand – Champagne Beaugrand
HÉLÈNE ON CHAMPAGNE BEAUGRAND My grandfather was a winemaker. I grew up in Troyes and studied in Burgundy. I spent time in South Africa, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand and the United States to vinify wines. For over twenty years now, I have made profesionals discover the wines of my friends in Languedoc and Moselle. Since 2008, I have finally been vinifying the beautiful Chardonnays of the House in Montgueux in the departement of Aube.
Vision It is not always easy to be a female winemaker but I am a determined woman. I always have had an immense curiosity about life. For me being a winemaker means sharing my passion for wines, my experiences, learning from the soil of the previous generations, working with it and passing it on to the next generations.
Particularités des Vins | Our wines are produced from 45 year-old vines and grass-planted soils. Thanks to the special soil characteristics, our golden Chardonnays allow us to elaborate unique, generous and aromatic wines. Our Champagnes mature in cellars for four to six years and are soft and elegant.
‘Day after day my philosophy has always been the same: pursue your dreams.’
Mathilde Bonnevie – Champagne Bonnevie Bocart
MATHILDE ON CHAMPAGNE BONNEVIE BOCART I returned to the family business 3 years ago after graduating with a degree in International Wine and Spirits Trade in order to preserve cultural and family traditions. I made several internships in France and in international wine region. After that, I understood that marketing and communication are so important and should not be neglected in our job. Vision I think the wine world needs a feminine touch to bring creativity and sensitivity to the prestigious wines of Champagne.
Particularités des Vins | Large part of Chardonnay, ageing in oak barrels and low dosage.
‘Always remember your roots to reach your destination.’
Florence Duchêne – Champagne Duchêne
FLORENCE ON CHAMPAGNE DUCHENE Even if I fell into the world of wines when I was a little girl, it did not necessarily mean that I would become a winemaker myself! I returned to the family business in 2011 during harvest time. This harvest is also the hottest and the most qualitative we have known in our region in the past years. I have got a very complementary educational background. I have a degree in foreign languages and International Wine and Spirits Trade. I also spent a lot of time abroad with Charlotte. It allows me to grow personally and professionally. Now I have come back, I am working with my father and my fiancé.
Vision I have learned that it is very important to rely on a few key people and not only on you to lead a stable life. I come from two very different countries and cultures. My Champagne roots taught me the unconditional love of the vines. My Filipino heritage allowed me to bring some spirituality and simplicity in my wines. They must reveal who I am : a natural, dynamic and feminine woman. My artistic sensibility and my respect for Nature are real assets in my job.
Particularités des Vins | Only Extra-Brut wines and long ageing process.
‘Where there is a will, there is always a way’
Sophie Milesi – Champagne Guy Mea
SOPHIE ON CHAMPAGNE GUY MEA After graduating I attended a Business School. As I am quite independent I didn’t want to directly get a business diploma in Avize School of Viticulture. I needed to discover and learn new things, meet new people, leave my region for a while and rediscover it with fresh eyes. These four years of study allowed me to enrich my educational background as well as my professional knowledge thanks to several internships and trips abroad.
Even as a young girl, I kept saying with a smile from ear to ear and a malicious look « when I grow up, I will be a « Champagneuse ! ». Don’t look it up in a dictionary, this word doesn’t exist. It simply comes out of the mind of a child who grew up in rhythm with the seasons and harvests. A child who is able to smell wines from miles and miles around…
Particularités des Vins | A real variety of terroirs: Louvois, Bouzy, Ludes, Montbré, Chigny-les-Roses and Tauxières-Mutry.
‘WATER separates the people of the world, WINE brings them together.’
Claire Blin – Champagne Sessile
CLAIR ON CHAMPAGNE SESSILE After graduating with a degree of Higher Education in Hotel and Restaurant Management, I wanted to go back to basics and become the next generation. So I went back to school in Avize to get a business diploma (BTS). Then I worked on wineries in other wine regions (Bordeaux and Cognac) before coming back home in 2005. I wanted to take a step back to discover my region with fresh eyes.
Vision – Our daily life is ruled by the seasons, the imperatives and the unforeseen events. As women we are more pragmatic, more meticulous! We certainly put a little more fancy. For us, our job is a constant questioning of our wine-producing methods. We need to show tenacity and perseverance.Our job allows us to make people dream and to give pleasure to Champagne lovers who enjoy tasting and feeling every wine secret. Champagne is a mythic bubbly beverage made to be shared.
Particularités des Vins
1 cuvée mono cépage, (Blanc de Blancs) mono cru (Cuvée Révélation)
1 cuvée mono cépage Meunier, Blanc de noir, vieilles vignes, Extra Brut (Cuvée l’Inattendue)
1 cuvée mono cépage, mono cru, oak barrels (Cuvée Sessile)
1 rosé d’assemblage (Cuvée Rubis)
1 cuvée 3 cépages, 5 years of ageing (Cuvée Alliance)
‘Live your dream instead of dreaming your life.’
Charlotte De Sousa – Champagne De Sousa
CHARLOTTE ON CHAMPAGNE DE SAUSA I came back on the estate in August 2011 after graduating with a degree in International Wine and Spirits Trade. I always have been attracted by the job my parents were doing. As far as I remember, they took me with them everywhere: in the vineyards and during their trips abroad to meet all Champagne lovers. A huge opportunity that allowed me to develop a special relationship with our clients and partners. My round-the-world trip with Florence has deeply opened my mind and has allowed me to get a broader vision, to constantly call myself into question and to be inspired by everything.
Vision As a woman, I bring a kind of meticulousness and a specific requirement to my wines. To do this job, you must be creative in order to elaborate a unique and different product each year. In that sense, I am a little artist. We produce something concrete that will last over time, something very personal in which you can find some of our personality. So one day if you are bored, simply stop being a winemaker! Today I think it is easier to be a female winemaker thanks to state of the art technologies.
Particularités des Vins | Organic wines aged in oak barrels – old vines – 70% Chardonnay.
