Authenticity, craftsmanship and a contemporary vision: the Maison Drappier continues to distinguish itself as one of Champagne’s most identity-driven establishments. Led today by the eighth generation, it maintains a deeply peasant soul, enhancing the Pinot Noir of the Côte des Bar, Kimmeridgian soils and rare grape varieties that have almost disappeared.
Founded in 1808 in Urville, in the heart of the Côte des Bars, is one of the last independent families in the region. Today the eighth generation, led by Michel Drappier along with his sons Charline, Antoine and Hugo-awarded Best Champagne Winemaker (Master Winemaker Top 100 2025)-continues to preserve its peasant and artisanal identity.
The Côte des Bar: an area closer to Burgundy than to Reims
It is located in the southernmost part of Champagne, in a landscape closer to Burgundy than to Reims: rolling hills, continental climate and Kimmeridgian soils formed 150 million years ago, composed of limestone-clay marls rich in marine fossils.
The alternating layers of limestone and clay together ensure drainage and water retention, giving the wines a distinct mineral and saline imprint. This is the same soil as Burgundian Chablis, but, unexpectedly, it was not Chardonnay that settled predominantly here, but Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir dominates here, not Chardonnay
It was Drappier’s own founder, François, in the early 1800s, who believed strongly in this varietal when it was considered marginal to Champagne, and who sensed that those soils and exposures could express Pinot Noirs of extraordinary personality.
The roots sink into the crumbly marl, achieving balance between phenolic richness and acidic freshness: the clay gives body and aromas of red fruits and spices, the limestone gives tension and a chalky texture.The result is vinous but elegant Pinot Noirs, more structured than those from the Montagne de Reims and saltier than those from Aÿ. As Michel Drappier likes to call them today: they are Pinot Noirs that are never heavy, but full of light.
The Drappier style: minimum interference, maximum transparency
Just to maintain the characteristics of the Kimmeridgian soil, which manages to give it this dual soul of power and transparency, for Maison Drappier, intervention in the cellar is kept to a minimum. It vinifies most of its wines in steel and vitrified cement, almost always avoiding wood, and prefers very low sugar dosages. In this, too, he anticipated trends as central today as Zero Dosage and Sans Soufre Ajouté.
So was the first Champagne house certified carbon-neutral (2016), powered by solar and geothermal energy, with lightened bottles and sustainable packaging.
Rare grape varieties that become identities
Grapes are sourced from estate vineyards cultivated organically or from low-impact, historic contributors. Despite the commitment and centrality of Pinot Noir, alongside Chardonnay, this winery has also been able to distinguish itself through the use and enhancement of ancient, almost forgotten grape varieties, such as the Blanc Vrai, Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromenteau – protagonists of the cuvée Quattuor, a symbol of biodiversity.
Five cuvées for tasting: a journey through light, time and depth
But let’s look in more detail at some of their cuvées that I had the pleasure of tasting in Milan at the L’Alchimia Restaurant together with Michel Drappier.
A journey from the purest minimalism to the memory of time. Five signature Drappier interpretations that dialogued with the creative cuisine of the chef Giuseppe Postorino, in a journey that combined elegance, tension and depth with creativity and finesse.
Brut Nature Sans Ajout de Soufre Drappier
Score: 91/100
Approximate price: € 50
100% Pinot Noir. 24 months on the lees. Zero sugar, zero sulfites. Golden yellow with copper highlights, fine and persistent perlage. On the nose notes of Williams pear, almond, candied citrus and a subtle note of yeast and chalk. A pure, naked, direct Champagne with distinct acidity and incisive salinity. A sip that vibrates with energy, taut but not edgy.
Pairing with Amuse Bouche.
Quattuor Blanc de Quatre Blancs Extra Brut Drappier
Score: 91/100
Approximate price: € 90
Chardonnay, Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Blanc Vrai. 30 months on lees. Straw yellow with fine, persistent perlage. Floral and citrus aromas, orange blossom, lime, green apple and an elegant herbaceous trail. The palate is savory, vibrant, vertical, with citrusy acidity and returns of white fruit.
Pairing: Coconut moron ceviche.
Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2015 Drappier
Score: 93/100
Approximate price: € 90
100% Chardonnay. 36 months on yeasts. Very fine and persistent perlage. Golden yellow. Aromas of ripe citrus, lemon cream, white flowers, acacia, butter and hazelnut. The creamy elegance of Chardonnay is found in the mouth. Silky, enveloping, with great freshness and persistence.
Pairing: Vegetable confetti, shrimp and chickpeas.
Grande Sendrée 2012 Drappier
Score: 95/100
Approximate price: € 100
55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay. 72 months on lees. Very fine and persistent perlage. Golden yellow. Acacia honey, brioche, wild strawberries, apricot jam, candied citrus, toasted hazelnut and a smoky nuance reminiscent of flint. A vinous Champagne of deep complexity that plays on the balance between mineral tension and aromatic richness. The sip is broad and silky, supported by a mineral energy of great persistence.
Pairing: Dark turbot with mushrooms and foie gras.
Œnothèque 2005 Drappier
Score: 96/100
Exceptional cuvée from the Family’s private collection.
75% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay, 10% Meunier. Over 15 years on the lees. Dégorgement tardif Perlage of great fineness and persistence. Deep golden yellow. Notes of chestnut honey, toasted hazelnut, brioche bread, dried apricot, dates and beeswax. Enveloping, velvety, very deep mouthfeel with fine bubbles and saline finish. A vinous, ripe, meditative sip with a savory texture and a very long finish.
Pairing: Small pastries.
