Champagne Drappier

The roots of the Drappier family tree go back to the 17th century. In 1604, Rémy Drappier was born, who, like Nicolas Ruinart, went to Reims as a cloth merchant.
In 1952, André and Micheline Drappier created the Cuvée Carte d'Or with its striking yellow label, a reference to quince, a yellow fruit whose aroma can be found in traces in every bottle.
In 1968, Micheline conceived a Rosé Champagne, 100% Pinot Noir. Fifty years later, the success of the Rosé de Saignée Drappier reached the Élysée Palace.
Since 1979, Michel Drappier has been in charge of winemaking, while André, with the experience of 74 vintages, oversees the vineyard.
In 1988, the family acquired deep cellars that were dug into the chalk beneath Reims in the mid-19th century, under Napoleon III. In these cool passages, time, a loyal ally, refines the most precious bottles, especially the Grande Sendrée.

Since 2016, Michel and his wife Sylvie have been supported by the eighth generation of the Drappier family. Charline, born in 1989, is gradually taking over marketing and sales, while her brother Hugo (1991) is responsible for the vines and winemaking. Antoine, born in 1996, is a passionate animal and nature lover. With his working horse, he cultivates a part of the vineyard according to organic standards. A vegetable garden, old orchards, and a chicken coop are now among the side activities at Maison Drappier. The estate is now certified as CO2-neutral.

The Winery

The vineyard, located essentially in the commune of Urville, Côte des Bars, preserves the distinct character of the Bar-sur-Aube district, which is dominated by Pinot Noir. This grape variety reigns supreme, accounting for 70% of the vineyard; it is complemented by Pinot Meunier (15%), Chardonnay (9%), and old grape varieties (6%).The staff at Drappier cultivate 110 hectares of vines, 60 hectares of which are owned by the house. 17 hectares have been certified organic since 2017, with another 10 currently in conversion. The vineyard as a whole is managed according to the principles of sustainable viticulture. No herbicides are used, and gentle cultivation methods respect soil life: manual weeding (with a hoe), partial grassing, horse plowing, fallow periods. This way, Drappier promotes biodiversity and encourages healthy grapes.

Winemaking

Drappier is a staunch opponent of indiscriminate sulfuring, and their products are among the least sulfured champagnes. As a result, they have more natural colors with rich golden, even coppery tones, and full aromas. This approach, which the house owes to its consumers, also allows for a very slow secondary fermentation at low temperatures, producing particularly fine and subtle bubbles. In all operations, they do not use pumps, but rather gravity, which protects the wines from oxidation and allows for a further reduction in sulfur. 30-45 milligrams per liter are added, which is less than a quarter of the permitted amount.