Drappier Champagne Tasting at Wine Watch

"I have enjoyed great health at a great age because every day since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then I have consumed two bottles."  If I didn’t say that- I am now-A.L.

And many wine lovers say they drink wine everyday but there are not nearly enough people that drink Champagne every day.

I like to think that we pay enough attention to this wonderful elixir but with only 3 tasting on the schedule featuring the tiny bubbles of France's most famous wine region- we need to do more!!

Drappier is one of my favorite Champagne houses because of their specialty with large format bottles and we always have some large format bottles of Drappier here for the holidays.  They are the only house that ferments these ultra large bottles in the same bottle that you serve them out of, which is the method of Sparkling wine production that this part of France has made famous throughout the world known as the Methode Champenoise.  Unfortunately when you do this secondary fermentation in bottles that are 6 liters and up, the pressure tends to be so great that almost 50% of the bottle break during fermentation!!  So if you want to make 50 15Liter bottles you have to start with 100!

We had an opportunity to visit this Champagne house which is located in Troyes, the historical capital of the region.   This is about 3 hours South of Reims and most people that visit Champagne don’t make it this far south as there is plenty to drink in Reims and Epernay.  Even the Germans left this city intact after destroying most of their neighbors to the north during WWII.  This is why they still have the old wood framed building in this city making it one of the most charming places to visit if you love Champagne it is a must stop and the hospitality we received at Drappier was worth the trip.

So when our friend Emilio called and asked if we wanted to host a tasting with Charline Drappier, the 8th generation of the family to run this famous property- I said looks like the evening of the 22nd will be spent drinking Drappier Champagne here at the Wine Watch.  We wanted to return the hospitality so you will be treated to all of the bubbles that are available at this famous house in the state of Florida and Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone will be making a few tasty treats to accompany the Champagnes.  The fee for this tasting is $45 + tax and there is only room for 18 tasters at this event, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Drappier Champagne Tasting at Wine Watch
Thursday, October 22nd
7pm

NV Drappier Bland de Blanc Signature Brut Chamapgne    
Price: $63.00       Sale $55.44          Case $643

(91 Points)  "Elegant and silky in texture, this well-knit Champagne offers flavors of ripe yellow peach, pastry, ground anise and ginger, with chalk hints and a bright, citrusy finish. Drink now through 2020." Wine Spectator       

NV Drappier Brut Rose Champagne    
Price: $63.00       Sale $55.44          Case $643

(92 Points) "Lightly floral on the nose, with hints of lavender and verbena, and spicy on the palate, offering ground clove and anise accents to the flavors of pastry dough, wild cherry, golden raisin, grated coconut and fleur de sel. Harmonious and elegant throughout, presenting a long, mouthwatering finish." Wine Spectator        

NV Drappier Carte d'Or Brut Champagne    
Price: $49.50       Sale $43.56          Case $505

(90 Points) "Structured by steely acidity and a lively bead, this racy Champagne is quite firm, carrying flavors of raspberry, McIntosh apple, piecrust and fresh ginger followed by a lip-smacking, zesty finish." Wine Spectator        

Drappier Carte d'Or Brut Champagne Magnum   
Price: $123          Sale $108.24

(90 Points) "Structured by steely acidity and a lively bead, this racy Champagne is quite firm, carrying flavors of raspberry, McIntosh apple, piecrust and fresh ginger followed by a lip-smacking, zesty finish." Wine Spectator        

NV Drappier Charles De Gaulle Brut Champagne    
Price: $92.25       Sale $81.18          Case $941

(91 points) Light yellow-gold. Potent, mineral-tinged Meyer lemon, pear and buttered toast aromas show very good clarity and a hint of anise. Sappy and focused on the palate, offering bitter pear skin and blood orange flavors that deepen and expand with air. Rich yet lithe Champagne with strong finishing cut, lift and stony persistence. (JR)    (1/2015) Antonio Galloni       

2006 Drappier Grand Sendre Brut Champagne    
Price: $139.00    Sale $122.32       Case $1418

(93 Points) "An elegant version, with a smoky underpinning and finely knit flavors of black raspberry, candied kumquat, toasted almond and biscuit, layered with vivid acidity. Long and lacy on the lightly spiced finish. Disgorged February 2014. Drink now through 2026. Wine Spectator    

Menu:

Caviar Pie

Shoe String Truffle Fries

Salmon and Mango tartar

The fee for this tasting is $45 + tax and there is only room for 18 tasters at this event, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

A bit about Champagne Drappier

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 nevertheless has its roots in the 17th century, with the birth in  1604 of Rémy Drappier, who like Nicolas Ruinart, becomes a cloth merchant in Reims. His grandson Nicolas (1669-1724) is a public prosecutor in the reign of Louis XIV. We must wait until 1803 for one of the ancestors of the house, François, to move to Urville and begin working a vineyard which today extends over 55 hectares, without counting a dozen contractual arrangements with other growers in the Côte des Bar, the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs.

In Urville, at the beginning of the 1930s, the vineyard suddenly erupts with heated discussions. This is when the descendant of that time, Georges Collot, maternal grandfather of Michel, the present head of the house, is the first to decide to plant Pinot Noir in the region. His decision causes some amusement and he is nicknamed 'Father Pinot'. In the meantime, this grape variety comes to represent 70% of Drappier's  vineyards and almost three quarters of grape production in the local area. History has proved the mockers wrong.

In  1952 André and Micheline Drappier launch the Carte d'Or cuvée with its distinctive yellow label. This reminds one of quince jelly, a yellow fruit (left) of which several aromatic notes are found in every bottle. shop

After the historic frost of 1957 (when 95% of the potential yield is destroyed), André introduces Pinot Meunier, more resistant to icy spring weather. Even so, it is a 100% Pinot Noir Drappier cuvée which will captivate General de Gaulle for his family enjoyment at Colombey-les-deux-Eglises. shop

In 1968 Micheline has the idea of introducing a rosé champagne. It too will be 100% Pinot Noir and in a clear glass bottle, a feminine touch which is still very rare at this time. Forty years later, the Drappier Rosé has enjoyed true success,  taking it right to  the Elysée Palace. shop

Since 1979 Michel DRAPPIER has controlled the winemaking process, while André, with a lifetime's experience of harvests behind him, keeps a watchful eye over the vineyards, which today cover 53 hectares of land owned by the domaine and 40 hectares in contractual arrangements with other growers.

In 1988 deep cellars dug out of the Reims limestone in the reign of Napoleon III come under family ownership to house the prestigious cuvées. Since then, three young buds born of Michel and Sylvie - Charline in 1989,  Hugo in 1991 and Antoine in 1996 - represent the eighth generation in  the domaine.

The true cornerstone of the house, the Drappier vineyard has the good fortune to be able to rely on more than 90 hectares shared between the Côte des Bar, the cradle of the family where the old vines are no longer counted; the Montagne de Reims, well known for the power of its Pinot Noir; and  the Côte des Blancs, famed for the finesse of its Chardonnay. A strong focus is placed on natural viticulture, and the house’s vines, as well as a portion of the rented parcels, are treated with organic composts made in-house, as well as organically-certified fertilisers. The only concession made is in the treatment of mildew, where some synthetic products may be used if necessary: “If I have to choose, I would rather have a healthy vine than an unhealthy but completely organic one,” says Michel Drappier.