Drappier Champagne Blanc de Blanc: A Legacy of Family, Sustainability, and Exquisite Bubbles

Drappier Champagne house traces its history back to 1808 when the family began crafting Champagne in the commune of Urville, the southernmost region of this esteemed sparkling wine region.

While the Drappier family didn’t move to the land until the 19th Century, the intricate caves and cellar where Champagne Drappier ages its wine date back to the 12th century! This one-of-a-kind feature was built by Saint Bernard, a Cistercian monk in 1152.

The Drappier Family Takes Over this Historic Land

The Drappiers held their land for over 50 years before they seriously started thinking about a future in wine. But the estate really began hitting its stride in the 1960s and 1970s, when current owner Michel Drappier took over for his father, Andre. It was Michel’s idea to create a Drappier rosé champagne crafted with the family’s Pinot Noir grapes. This sparkler would achieve so much acclaim that it was poured at Elysée Palace, which is France’s equivalent to the White House.

Under the watchful eye of winemaker Michel Drappier, the family’s champagne would even become the favorite sipper of General Charles du Gaulle, one of France’s most significant historical figures. Drappier would later name their Charles du Gaulle Cuvee, a champagne of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay after the esteemed general. 

Sustainability at Drappier Champagne

Champagne Drappier is renowned for their unwavering commitment to sustainability, and the estate stands as a paragon of eco-conscious viticulture. Embracing organic and biodynamic practices, they’ve not only preserved the vitality of their Kimmeridgian limestone soil terroir but elevated the quality and finesse of their Champagnes.

Here are a few ways the family is achieving its sustainability goals:

• The estate uses no herbicides or pesticides. This family-owned vineyard relies on horses and manually operated machines to farm the land. 
• Drappier is the first Carbon Neutral Champagne House, a feat achieved by the use of solar panels and electric vehicles on the property, a redesigned bottle shape which allows for more energy efficient transportation, and an in-house recycling program which allows bottles to be used more than once.
• Michel Drappier is leading the conservation of 4 rare grape varieties unique to Champagne: Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Blanc Vrai and Fromenteau. Preserving the biodiversity of heritage grape varieties helps the vineyard 

The winemaking process

The champagne produced by Michel Drappier is considered a low-intervention champagne. That means that the wine is left unfiltered, and a portion of fermentation is done with yeasts native to the estate. Because no animal products are used to make this champagne, Champagne Drappier is considered a vegan Champagne. 

Another distinct feature of the winemaking process at Drappier is the limited use of sulfur. The use of sulfur in wine is kind of a hot button issue in some wine circles, so if you’re a wine lover who seeks out wines and champagne with no sulfur or limited sulfur, consider the brand’s Drappier’s Brut Nature Sans Soufre, a zero dosage, zero sulfur sparkling wine. The Blanc de Blanc, featured here, also uses minimal amounts of sulfur.