Champagne Drappier
- Region
- France - Champagne
- Winemaker
- Michel Drappier
- Size
- 100 hectare
- Established
- 1808
- Grower Website
- Visit grower's website
Once occupied 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 has its roots in the 17th century, with the birth in 1604 of Remy Drappier, who like Nicolas Ruinart becomes a cloth merchant in Reims. His grandson Nicolas (1669-1724) was a public prosecutor in the reign of Louis XIV. One must wait until 1808 for one of the ancestors of the House, Francois, to move to Urville and begin working a vineyard which today extends over 55 hectares.
In Urville, at the beginning of the 1930s, the vineyard suddenly erupted with heated discussions. Georges Collot, maternal grandfather of Michel, the present head of the House, was the first to decide to plant Pinot Noir in the region. His decision caused some amusement and he was nicknamed « Father Pinot ».
This grape variety now represents 70% of Drappier’s vineyards and almost three quarters of grape production in the local area. Michel believes in minimal intervention and has had his modern winery built in such a way as to enable gentle gravitational movement of grapes, musts and wines in the winemaking process. This allows him to carry out a low sulphur regime which ties in with his practices of controlled oxidation of musts, contributing to the distinctive style of this Champagne House.
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Anthony Byrne Fine Wines Ltd. Registered in England and Wales with company number 01713692.
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Registered office: Ramsey Business Park, Stocking Fen Road, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, PE26 2UR.