The name of the estate refers to the "bidon", the belly, evoking this advanced form of mountain on the valley, with an exposure to the sun but also to the winds. The property was created from scratch in the first half of the 20th century by a wealthy businessman from the valley, an original. He had a crazy plan for his retirement to create a wine estate up there, in the trees, right on the mountain. Unfortunately, when he reached retirement age and his baby was finally ready, he died and was unable to take advantage of it. Jacques Granges discovers this place when he leaves his engineering studies and falls madly in love with it. Listening only to his heart, he decided to settle there. It was 1971. At that time he was called crazy. He didn't care! The Granges are passionate about nature above all. They are botanical enthusiasts, close to life, to the fauna and flora of the Valais, lovers of the land, who campaign for preserved diversity. The plots of land that make up the agricultural estate are located on three different levels: 1. on the plain, where they grow apples, pears, medicinal and aromatic herbs and vegetables, on three plots of land at the place known as "Grand-Blettay"; 2. on the first hillside of Fully, at the start of the cable car installation (which takes them home), at the foot of the Beudon hills, with two vineyards; 3. and finally, on the upper level, the Beudon Estate itself. Here the vineyard faces south, on a plateau overlooking the Rhone plain, stretching over about 6 hectares, from 740 to 890 m in altitude, between pubescent oaks, pines, chestnut trees and almond trees. The area is particularly rich in plant and animal species (for example, it has the largest variety of butterflies in Switzerland). In the high vineyards of Beudon, you can see a mixture of fendant, pinot noir, humagne rouge, müller thürgau (called riesling x sylvaner here), gamay, petite arvine, etc. So a wide variety of grape varieties, grown in different pruning patterns. The slopes here are terrifying, with the gentlest slopes at 35% and the steepest flirting with 100%. The viticulture here is heroic. Finally, a word to the effect that the Granges cultivate the vines, but do not make wine. A friend of theirs, Pierre-Antoine Crettenand, has been doing this for many years. So, let's specify that at harvest time, the black grapes are brought down via the cable car and vinified "at the bottom" by the cable car; the white grapes are pressed "at the top", then brought down the mountain via a thin flexible tube, a sort of pipeline. The juice is collected at the bottom and then the vinification begins. Finally, it should be noted that there are no clonal selections at the Domaine de Beudon, only massal selections, as the Granges have their own conservatory of grape varieties. The wines are all the result of an empirical and non-dogmatic biodynamic culture, which has been in place since 1993, making them pioneers.A word to finish on the style of the wines, which is not at all usual here: in contrast to the powerful and richly alcoholic Valaisan crus, at Beudon, altitude and terroir oblige, the wines have an astonishingly digestible and very fresh character. Vinified and matured without the use of wood, never yeasted or chaptalised, they regularly have alcoholic strengths of between 11 and 12.5°. This does not mean that they are lacking in density; in fact, it is this combination of density and finesse, of natural expression, that is most surprising. And what's more, it has great ageing potential. On this subject, the domain sells its wines in a staggered way with vintages that are ready to drink, but that can also be aged, which is a godsend for the wine lover, especially at such reasonable prices and for such an expensive viticulture. To conclude on this last point, we would like to remind you that it was through contact with Jacky and Marion Granges that Marie-Thérèse Chappaz and Valentina Andrei got the idea of biodynamics.