WORK IN THE CELLAR
WORK IN THE CELLAR
Vinification process
Once the grapes have been vinified, the winegrower can then begin the meticulous blending process, respecting the style of each grape variety, the spirit of each terroir, and sometimes even the whisper of each individual climat. This is when the three Drappier generations, André, Michel and Hugo come together each year with Cellar Master, Elysé Brigandat, to begin the delicate mission of blending the wines to replenish their cellars. They do not focus on keeping the wine the same each vintage, instead they seek to bring out the maximum of each wine as it is produced.
The wines are vinified with minimal intervention, they are not filtered or discoloured. Furthermore, no animal products are used in this process. A portion of the yeasts used in the fermentation stage are selected and cultivated at the estate. After many years of experimentation, the yeasts have finally been baptised ‘Drappier Fermentum Meum’ (DFM).
WORK IN THE CELLAR
Minimal use of sulfur
We are strictly opposed to excessive sulfur, and we use some of the smallest amounts in the industry. Our champagnes therefore have a more natural, deep gold or even copper colour, and more expressive aromas.
As well as showing respect to the consumer, this also allows us to carry out the prise de mousse (part of the secondary fermentation) at a low temperature. This process is particularly slow, and creates a fine, subtle effervescence. The House also uses gravity to avoid oxidation and further reduce sulfur levels by between 30mg to 45mg of sulfur per litre, or by less than a quarter of the permitted amount.
In 2007, Drappier Brut Nature Sans Soufre was released: the result of this experimental process initiated in the 1980s.
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The “Cercle”,
the height of maturity
At the heart of our limestone cellars lies the “Cercle”. A name given by the people of Champagne for the area where reserve wines are laid to mature in special containers, notably in rounded casks called foudres cerclés.
On the Drappier estate, great vintages mature in oak casks until they are ready to be bottled. The smallest containers – the muid (roughly 274 litres) and demi-muid (roughly 137 litres) – are made from local oak found in the Orient Forest, descended from trees planted by the Templars in the Eighteenth Century.
In 2012, a spectacular piece arrived and completed the collection: an egg-shaped cask. The first of its kind in the Champagne region, and baptised Ovum (from the Latin word for egg), this special container holds 3.342 litres of premium Grande Sendrée, a vintage only developed when the wine reaches its ultimate potential. Patience is required….
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Liqueurs
de dosage collection
Liqueurs d’expédition are first matured in Limousin oak casks and then in demijohns for over 15 years. This increases their concentration and finesse. A small quantity of this liqueur is added to each bottle when it is disgorged in order to accentuate the wines’ length without weighing on the palate. Champagne obtained in this way is more complex and pure.
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Extraordinary
bottles
No one knows why the largest bottles of champagne have biblical names. Nonetheless, here is our version:
At the birth of Jesus Christ, Three Wise Men offered generous gifts to the newborn. One of them was Balthazar, a descendant of kings from ancient Babylon.
A large champagne bottle (called a Balthazar) would make an exceptional gift for an equally exceptional occasion. From there, to attributing the name of an ancient Persian king to each different type of bottle, there was just one more step, which the people from Champagne took at the end of the nineteenth century.
In terms of the Primat, being the only design of the bottle, we chose a Gallo-Roman name close to our terroir. Primat, from the Latin Primatus meaning top-rated. With regard to the Melchizedek, the largest champagne bottle in the world, we once again turn back to the traditions of ancient Babylon.
La Maison Drappier is the only champagne house to perform a prise de mousse, riddling and disgorging for each and every bottle, from the half-bottle to the Melchizedek (30 litres, or 40 bottles). This traditional technique gives the wine exceptional freshness and outstanding finesse.
These giant bottles require great strength to serve, so designer Carmelo de Giorgio came up with a device to relieve the sommelier. The VCanter (comprised of the letter ‘V’ representing the shape of the stand and the verb ‘Decant’ meaning to pour), is a precision device made in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Designed in Drappier colours and gold plated, the precision device helps the server pour even the largest bottles of champagne.
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“Immersion”
ageing process
At depths of 30 metres, the underwater pressure, temperature and light create the perfect conditions for wine to age. The bottles containing wine from Champagne make their unique journey to Brittany where they are immersed for one, two or three years.
The Drappier Immersion Set, presented in a wooden box, contains two bottles of the same champagne, one has evolved in the depths of the sea and the other in the Drappier cellars in Urville. The set therefore presents an opportunity to enjoy a comparative tasting.
