Drappier

History

1. 1152

   The monks of Clairvaux

   Vines grew on the slopes of Urville as early as Gallo-Roman times, but it was Saint Bernard who brought order to the vineyards. According to the house, in 1116 he brought Morillon Noir, the ancestor of Pinot Noir, from Burgundy, and in 1152 the Cistercians of Clairvaux carved out a cellar in Urville. After the Revolution Napoleon turned the abbey into a prison. The Drappiers, who lived next door, bought the cellars after the Second World War. The house's oldest vintages and largest bottles are kept here today.

2. 1808

   A cloth merchant from Reims settles in Urville

   The family tree begins with Rémy Drappier, a cloth merchant from Reims born in 1604, who traded cloth like Nicolas Ruinart. In 1808 his descendant François settled in Urville and began farming a few hectares of vines. The house has not changed hands since.

3. 1930

   “Father Pinot”

   In the early 1930s Georges Collot, Michel Drappier's maternal grandfather, was the first in the canton to replant Pinot Noir. His neighbours mocked him and nicknamed him “Père Pinot”. Today the grape covers around 70% of Drappier's vineyards and most of the vineyards in the Aube.

4. 1952

   The yellow label

   André and Micheline Drappier created Carte d'Or with its yellow label. The colour is a nod to quince jelly: according to Michel, sommeliers in the 1960s detected a hint of it in Drappier's Champagne. After the 1957 frost, which destroyed 95% of the harvest, André planted the hardier Meunier, and in 1968 Micheline came up with a rosé Champagne made entirely from Pinot Noir.

5. 1965

   A customer from Colombey

   In 1965 Drappier's Pinot Noir found its way onto General de Gaulle's table at La Boisserie in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, a dozen or so kilometres from Urville. The General became the house's most famous customer and also served this Champagne at official receptions. Cuvée Charles de Gaulle was created in 1990, for the 50th anniversary of the Appeal of 18 June.

6. 1979

   Michel and the eighth generation

   Since 1979 the wine has been in the hands of Michel Drappier. In 1988 the family bought deep chalk cellars in Reims, dug in the time of Napoleon III. Since 2016 the eighth generation has worked at the house: Charline runs sales, Hugo the vineyard and cellar, and Antoine farms some of the vineyards with a draught horse. André Drappier died in March 2025 at the age of 99.

7. 2026

   The Élysée Palace and a new cellar

   On 14 July 2026 Grande Sendrée 2012 was served at a banquet at the Élysée Palace, and a month earlier the 2015 vintage was poured at the G7 summit in Évian. The 2026 harvest began on 19 August, the earliest in the house's history. In Urville a cellar is being built that is meant to stay cool and humid without using energy, and in the historic building of the former Counts of Champagne the family is planning a small hotel with a restaurant for 2027.

People

Curiosities

1. Drappier sells Carte d'Or in 12 sizes, from 0.2 l to the 30 l Melchizedek. Michel Drappier had the Melchizedek bottle specially made in Italy; it is around 1.10 m tall and weighs 52 kg, and the house built a reinforced oak riddling rack for it. source
2. The Immersion series spent two years at a depth of around 30 m in the bay of Saint-Malo. Michel Drappier compares ageing in the sea to cooking meat in water instead of frying it in a pan. source
3. Around 3 ha of Arbane grow in Champagne, of which around half a hectare belongs to Drappier. source
4. In 1957 frost destroyed 95% of Drappier's harvest. After that disaster André planted Meunier, which copes better with spring frosts. source
5. The 2026 harvest began in Urville on 19 August, the earliest in the house's more than 200-year history. Hugo Drappier called the vintage exceptional. source
6. anecdote Michel Drappier recalls that 30 years ago Champagne from the Aube was hard to sell in Reims, and today it is fashionable there. source
7. rumour The house's range has grown to around 25 cuvées. According to Tom Hewson, the marketing department reportedly frowns on such a long list of wines. source
8. Micheline's 1968 rosé Champagne, made entirely from Pinot Noir, was a novelty at the time. Today the Rosé de Saignée, macerated on the skins for two days, is served at the Élysée Palace. source