Far from the noise of the vineyards of the northern Marne department - known for the Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne - Champagne Drappier has always appreciated being surrounded and protected by this calm, even if it wasn't on the wine travel maps of many tourists.
The history of the house began in 1808 with François Drappier, a lumberjack who worked for the Cristallerie Royale de Champagne and dreamed of making wines that would fill all those sparkling champagne glasses that were made at the Cristallerie. He settled in Urville, bought 1.5 hectares of land and began what he never imagined would one day become one of Champagne's greatest success stories.
A few generations later, the discreet champagne house is now one of the best-known names in Champagne, and has grown to a size of 110 hectares of vines - 60 hectares of which are owned by the family. 17 hectares have already obtained organic farming certification, while another large proportion is still in the process of conversion.
Unlike most other champagne houses, Champagne Drappier remains an entirely family-owned and managed estate, which is why the Drappiers see themselves more as a family of winemakers than as a brand or négociant.
The continuity of the family heritage and vision is currently assured by three generations working together under one roof: André Drappier - the warm-hearted soul of the house, who retired many years ago but still loves to come and look after the vineyards, welcome visitors or taste the latest cuvées that his son Michel has tasted - cellar master Michel Drappier and his wife Sylvie, and their children Charline, Hugo and Antoine, who have all decided to join the domaine in recent years.
Confidence in the idea of evolving the family heritage without losing its origins or identity, the courage to find new dimensions to the Drappier taste across several generations, runs like a thread through the Drappier generations.
In his search for a universal taste that would appeal to the widest possible audience, André Drappier first introduced the house's flagship cuvée, Carte d'Or Brut, in 1952. The aromatic blend of 80% Pinot Noir, with its generous fruitiness and gentle complexity, quickly found an international following and became the benchmark for the "Drappier taste", helping André to grow and develop the family estate in the decades that followed.
When Michel Drappier joined his father in 1979, he was quickly handed the keys to the winery with all the responsibilities that went with it; not only did his father want to avoid any conflict over the two generations' different approaches to winemaking, but he also felt that Michel's attention to detail and interest in experimentation would bring innovation and a touch of modernity to the estate's champagnes.
Inspired by the new generation of winemakers emerging in Burgundy, where Michel Drappier had studied oenology, he set out to create more vinous, characterful champagnes that would carry the unique, identifiable taste of the family's vineyards. Driven by his boundless curiosity, he focused on improving the quality of the estate's production and on finding the smallest details to enhance and refine his cuvées with greater complexity, coherence and character.
Over time, Michel Drappier has built up an impressive collection of reserve wines and dames-jeannes of liqueurs of various ages in his cellar, putting them to good use in the blending process like a chef uses his collection of kitchen spices. He long ago introduced huge oak barrels into his wine cellars, keen to add the structural and textural benefits that oak provides, while minimizing the impact that oak can have on the taste of champagne.
One of Michel Drappier's most unexpected successes was his zero dosage champagne, long before non-dosed champagnes became an enduring trend among wine lovers: Drappier's Brut Nature cuvée is made from 100% Pinot Noirs harvested at perfect ripeness to bring the personality of Côte des Bar Pinot Noir to its purest expression, where there's no need for added liqueur. The refreshing minerality and creaminess of this champagne have been so enthusiastically received by champagne lovers that a Brut Nature Rosé, produced using the saignée method, has also been launched.
Today, 70% of Champagne Drappier's vineyards are planted with Pinot Noir, the most common grape variety in Champagne's Côte des Bar sub-region, and 20% with Chardonnay. The remaining 10% is devoted to old Champagne grape varieties, which are maintained to preserve the diversity of Champagne's history. The lion's share of these old varieties is made up of 2 hectares of Blanc vrai, synonymous with Pinot Blanc, followed by 70 ares of Fromenteau, the historic name for Pinot Gris, as well as 40 ares of Arbane and Petit Meslier.
These little historical treasures are used in Blanc de Blancs Signature, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc that highlights delicate yellow fruit notes, or in Cuvée Quattuor, an original blend of Chardonnay with old, forgotten grape varieties: Pinot Blanc, Arbane and Petit Meslier, or in the cuvée Clarevallis, made from a base of organic Pinot Noir with a touch of Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.
Named after General de Gaulle, who preferred this champagne for his private receptions, Cuveé Collection Charles de Gaulle is a partially oak-aged blend representing the estate's most extravagant cuvée, with remarkable depth and complexity, length and persistence.
Another special feature is the Grande Sendrée cuvée in an original bottle that is a reproduction of an 18th-century bottle found in the Urville cellars. In honor of old traditions, this cuvée of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay is partly aged in oak barrels and entirely stirred by hand. The dosage comes from a special liqueur de tirage that has been aged in barrel for over 15 years, adding intensity and complexity on the palate. There's also a rosé version: Grande Sendrée Rosé is a blend of 92% Pinot Noir and 8% Chardonnay, proving just how bold, yet refined and gentle the typical Aube grape can be.
Today, the family devotes much of its efforts to preserving its land for future generations. Aware of the sensitivity and fragility of nature, Champagne Drappier uses no herbicides and applies only practices that protect and respect the vineyard, the environment and the soil - such as manual weeding, partial grassing and horse-drawn ploughing, which help preserve biodiversity and harvest healthy grapes for exceptional champagnes.
If you're ever in Urville, where Champagne Drappier offers tours and tastings with great pride and joy, be sure to visit the historic cellars built by the Abbey of Clairvaux and learn more about Aube's fascinating history before sampling some excellent champagnes.
