MAISON DRAPPIER

The history of the walls today inhabited by the DRAPPIER Family goes back to the 12th century when Saint Bernard had an annex to Clairvaux Abbey built in Urville.
The vineyard which today surrounds these Cistercian cellars is the pride of our House.
Cultivated in as natural a way as possible, the vineyard gives life to grapes rich in complex aromas which allow the making of Champagnes with well established characters housed in exceptional bottles.

History of the Family

Onceoccupied by Cistercian monks from Clairvaux Abbey, the seat of the House includes some magnificent 12th-century vaulted cellars.
Moving on to the more recent past, the ancestral tree of the Drappier Family nevertheless has its roots in the 17th century, with the birth in 1604 of Rémy Drappier, who like Nicolas Ruinart becomes a cloth merchant in Reims. His grandson Nicolas (1669-1724) is a public prosecutor in the reign of Louis XIV. One must wait until 1803 for one of the ancestors of the House, François, to move to Urville and begin working a vineyard which today extends over 55 hectares, without counting a dozen contractual arrangements with other growers in the Côte des Bar, the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs.
In Urville, at the beginning of the 1930’s, the vineyard suddenly erupts with heated discussions. This is when the descendant of that time, Georges Collot, maternal grandfather of Michel, the present head of the House, is the first to decide to plant Pinot Noir in the region…

His decision causes some amusement and he is nicknamed « Father Pinot ». This grape variety in the meantime represents 70% of Drappier’s vineyards and almost three quarters of grape production in the local area… History has proved the mockers wrong.
Adapted from « Champagne, a pleasure shared », Eric Glâtre, Edition HOEBEKE, 2001 (2008 edition).
In 1952 André and Micheline Drappier launch the Carte d’Or cuvée with its distinctive yellow label. This reminds one of quince jelly, a yellow fruit of which several aromatic notes are found in every bottle.
After the historic frost of 1957 (95% of the potential yield destroyed), André introduces Pinot Meunier, more resistant to icy spring weather. Even so, it is a 100% Pinot Noir Drappier cuvée which will captivate General de Gaulle for his family enjoyment at Colombey-les-deux-Eglises.
In 1968 Micheline has the idea of introducing a rosé Champagne. It too will be 100% Pinot Noir and in a clear glass bottle, a feminine touch which is still very rare at this time. Forty years later the DRAPPIER Rosé has enjoyed true success, taking it to the Elysée Palace.
Since 1979 Michel DRAPPIER has been controlling the wine-making process while André, with a lifetime’s experience of harvests behind him, keeps a watchful eye over the vineyards which today cover a thousand “hommées” (53 hectares) of land owned by the domaine and 40 hectares in contractual arrangements with other growers.
In 1988 deep cellars dug out of the Reims limestone in the reign of Napoleon III become part of the family ownership to house the prestigious cuvées.
Since then, three young buds born of Michel and Sylvie, Charline in 1989, Hugo in 1991 and Antoine in 1996, represent the eighth generation in the domaine.
Two hundred years of climatic and economic hazards have not diminished the passion which animates a Champagne family with its roots in this soil worked a thousand times over. The old vine stock where the best sap rises, the shoots bearing the fruit and the little sprouts, delicate but full of hope, thank you for your loyalty during these two centuries and trust that, as we move towards the tricentenary, you will taste numerous lovely vintages.

Vineyard

To create a fine wine, without however imposing on it excessive interventions which would run the risk of denaturalising it, it goes without saying that an impeccable quality of fruit is needed. Everyone is happy to shout this out loud, all the experts on the planet are in agreement here: the grape is the very essence of the wine. To achieve the latter, one single rule applies: respect for the integrity of the soil in its diversity.
Without the terroir, without this sacred earth over which mankind bends from one generation to the next, without the rigorous labour it has generated over the course of time, the vine, whether it is in Champagne or elsewhere, would have no soul and its fruit would not have the importance attached to it today. Thus the soil for vines is a treasure conferred on us by our ancestors, a jewel found again and again in as many walks of life as there are parcels of vines to be tended.
In Champagne, and most particularly in the Drappier House, the vine is considered not as something owned in the sense of a possession, but rather as a family legacy handed down by careful men through work well done. This endowment, acquired patiently and not without pain, allows the vintner to proceed to the crux of the matter : the wine.

The Drappiers have inherited an accumulation of skills and soils put together over two centuries by members of the same Family. Having grown strong through this process, Maison Drappier’s vocation is to make Champagne wines as close as possible to what it is convenient to call authenticity. Far from the media-driven publicity which sometimes imprisons a wine inside its image, the Drappier Family, proud of its past, refuses to identify with the «best» Champagne, knowing full well that everything in matters of wine is a question of taste. Maison Drappier commits itself, quite simply, to vinifying genuine wines. Wines without artifice.

Balance is a key word when it comes to making a Champagne worthy of the name. To aim for balance, it is necessary to indulge in a subtle game composed of informed proportions of appropriate grape varieties planted patiently in different locations, on parcels of land offering multiple exposure, by men who are wise, adventurous and prudent. These diverse soils, from the youngest tended by Drappier to the oldest, are looked after like the apple of one’s eye. With natural composts added, they yield grapes with distinctive characters which are also found, of course, deep down in the Drappier Champagnes, where connoisseurs claim the soul of the wine is located.

The true cornerstone of the House, the Drappier vineyard has the good fortune to be able to rely on more than 90 hectares shared between the Côte des Bar, the cradle of the Family where the old vines are no longer counted, the Montagne de Reims, well known for the power of its Pinot Noir, and the Côte des Blancs, famed for the finesse of its Chardonnay. Without these legendary grape varieties planted in the best soils, without other typical varieties of noble extraction such as Pinot Meunier, Arbane or Petit Meslier, all of which make up this venerable vineyard, Drappier Champagne would be nothing but a body without bones. Without its exceptional vineyard which sees its future through its roots, Maison Drappier would not have achieved the reputation it enjoys.

Cistercian Cellars :

Roughly 2000 years ago, the Gallo-Romans planted vines on the hill behind a villa which is to become Urville in the Middle Ages. It is not until 1116 that Saint Bernard, having come from Cîteaux Abbey near Clos Vougeot, reorganises the vineyard. From Burgundy he imports Morillon Noir, the forerunner of Pinot, and in 1152 has several cellars built, one of which, in Urville, is an annex of Bavin-Saint Eulalie.

All these properties are attached to the great Clairvaux Abbey founded by Saint Bernard, whose influence will radiate throughout medieval Europe. When he dies in 1153, wine production is close to 600,000 litres, shipped primarily in casks because glass is scarce and expensive at this time. The wines, called Vins de Bar, are appreciated by the Counts of Champagne and in Paris after they have proceeded along the Aube and the Seine on merchant boats.

After the French Revolution, Napoleon converts Clairvaux Abbey into a prison. The Urville cellars become the village presbytery in the 14th century. The Drappier Family, having set up house in the proximity of these cellars, buys them and starts using them after World War II. Today they house several fine vintages and the large-sized bottles, the pride of the House.

Production process:

Once the grapes have been vinified it is the vintner’s task to unite them with precision, wisdom and harmony, at the same time respecting the style of each grape variety, the spirit of each parcel of land, almost retaining every breath of its climate. This is when the three Drappier generations come together in something like conclaves which are necessary for the delicate mission, every year, leading to the blending of the wines and the renewal of their cuvées. Their concern is not the simple homogeneity of the wine; rather they seek the optimal expression of each cuvée as it is born.

We are fiercely opposed to excessive use of sulphur and we use the weakest doses in our profession. The Champagnes thus derived therefore have more natural colours with rich, coppery golds and more expansive aromas.
Apart from respect for the consumer, this characteristic allows a low-temperature prise de mousse which is particularly slow, generating a fine, subtle effervescence.
The liqueurs d’expédition are aged in oak casks, then in demi-johns for more than 10 years, in this way gaining in concentration and refinement. They are added to each bottle in a reduced dose in order to accentuate length in the mouth without ever overburdening the palate. The Champagnes thus obtained are more complex and also purer.
While the vintage varieties age in the cool darkness of the Reims cellars, dug out of the limestone in 1870, the large-sized bottles are prudently lined up in the 12th century cellar, constructed in Urville by Cistercian monks from Clairvaux Abbey.
Aficionados of Champagne never allow themselves to be dictated to about it. They appreciate the vinosity and consistency of a Champagne with a good pedigree. General de Gaulle was among those who loved Drappier Champagne for its assured character. In his lifetime he was the most famous customer of Maison Drappier. His favourite Champagne was present at all the celebrations at Colombey-les–deux-Eglises, a village close to Urville and a stronghold of the Drappier Family. In homage to the eminent statesman Maison Drappier has dedicated one of its fine cuvées to him.

Exceptional bottles:

No one knows the origin of the biblical names given to the large-sized bottles of Champagne. Our version goes as follows :
When Jesus is born, sumptuous gifts are offered to the newly born by the Magi, among them Balthazar, a descendant of the Babylonian kings. A large bottle of Champagne is an exceptional present for an exceptional occasion. From there to ascribing to each container the name of a king from ancient Persia it was only a single step, said to have been taken by Champagne growers at the end of the last century.
As far as the Primat is concerned, being the sole producer of this container we have chosen a Gallo-Roman name closer to our terroir. Primat from the Latin Primat : of the first order. As for the Melchizedek, here we return to the Babylonian tradition.
Maison Drappier is unique in carrying out the prise de mousse, the remuage and the individual disgorgement of every single bottle from the half-bottle to the Melchizedek. Through this traditional technique the wine is guaranteed an exceptional freshness and an exceptional finesse of effervescence.

 

LES CUVÉES DRAPPIER

CARTE D’OR

The Drappier Carte d’Or expresses all the aromas of the noble grape variety Pinot Noir.
This in fact constitutes 80% of the blend. A red grape producing white juice, it is sought after not only for its structure but also for its very characteristic fine notes of red fruits.

BLANC DE BLANCS SIGNATURE

Elegant bouquet and fresh in the mouth. This 100% Chardonnay Champagne is produced exclusively from first pressing ;
it combines finesse and richness. Every bottle bears the Drappier signature in gold, the signature of a fine cuvée.

ROSÉ BRUT

The Val des Demoiselles is a small vineyard belonging to the Drappier domaine, planted with Pinot Noir.
The traditional vinification by means of maceration ensures an intense bouquet and subtle aromas of red fruits. Its deep colour is highlighted by a clear glass bottle.

GRANDE SENDRÉE  :

The name Grande Sendrée comes from a parcel of land planted more than 70 years ago. Today this cuvée is the subtle alliance of extremely aromatic wines produced in very small quantities. The Chardonnay, which provides 45% of the blend, brings finesse and elegance whereas the 55% of Pinot Noir ensures aromatic intensity.

BRUT NATURE

A cuvée in which nature expresses itself freely and totally : 100% from first pressing, 100% Pinot Noir, zero dosage. For an informed clientele.

CUVÉE CHARLES DE GAULLE

Champagne Drappier had the honour of being chosen by Charles de Gaulle for his private receptions in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, in the course of which he liked to offer an aromatic and authentic Champagne. Always a vintage variety, the Charles de Gaulle Cuvée is composed of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.

MILLÉSIME EXCEPTION

Chosen purely for the particular characteristics of a climatic season, the Millésime Exception is the expression of a single year.
With 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, its production takes place partly in large oak butts, giving it richness and complexity.

CONTACT :

Domaine :

Champagne Drappier
Rue des Vignes
10200 URVILLE - FRANCE
Tél : +33 (0)3 25 27 40 15
Fax : +33 (0)3 25 27 41 19

Caves :

Champagne DRAPPIER
11 rue Doïot
51100 REIMS
Tél : +33 (0)3 26 05 13 01

info@champagne-drappier.com

By appointment.
Monday to Saturday from 8.00 to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 18.00
Closed on Sundays and on public holidays
Tasting and sales without appointment
Visit to the domaine only by appointment