How Champagne Drappier is cementing its position in the Aube

The Aube’s largest independent producer, Champagne Drappier, is making a series of significant investments in cellaring and tourism at its base in Urville, around 100 miles south of Epernay.

While the majority of major developments in winemaking and visitor centres take place in and around Reims, Epernay and Aÿ in the heart of the Champagne region, Drappier is something of an outlier in building a much stronger presence in the Côte des Bar, also known as the Aube, which is over an hour’s drive from the famous urban centres of the appellation.

But, over the years, the producer has proven a trendsetter, pushing forward changes before others, be it crafting Champagne without added sulphur, making zero dosage cuvées, achieving carbon neutrality, planting historic grape varieties – plus a hybrid – and now, drawing the attention southwards to the Aube.

As head of the house, Michel Drappier, told me last month, when db visited the maison’s HQ in Urville, “In a way, 50 years ago, we were not proud of where we were from – it being a remote place – but now we are happy, and proud of where we are.”

Continuing, he told db, “30 years ago, you could almost not sell Champagne in Reims that came from here [the Aube], but now it is almost trendy for people in Reims to drink Champagne from the Aube.”

Such change, when combined with Champagne Drappier’s increased standing in the competitive sparkling wine market, has driven him to invest in expanding the maison’s storage capabilities and visitor experience.

To do the former, a vast underground cellar is being dug, which currently presents a shocking spectacle in the village of Urville, particularly as the excavations require the presence of a huge crane that towers above the low-rise houses.

A carbon neutral approach

However, when the work is finish, the new facility will disappear into the landscape, as it will be covered “with clay and limestone”, supporting “gardens”, as well as a building for disgorging the bottles – although this will be made of wood and straw, both to look natural, as well as be sustainable.

Michel told db that he had enlisted the firm of architects called Atelier Zero Carbone, who, as the name suggests, are focused on creating buildings with minimal carbon footprint.

Founder of this firm is Marine Jacques Leflaive, who is the daughter of the late, great Burgundy winemaker Anne Claude Leflaive – which explains why, as previously reported by db, the wine producer used Atelier Zero Carbone for a new egg-shaped cellar, the first of its kind when completed in 2013.

Made with wood, straw and clay as well as earth bricks, the building has a natural humidity of 80% and a constant temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, despite being above ground.

As for Champagne Drappier’s new structure, Michel said that it had been done in line with the producer’s move to be carbon neutral, something that was achieved 11 years ago.

As part of this, the underground cellar is being lined with Secant piles employing recycled concrete, that Michel said removed the need to build energy intensive structures as the material retains the existing soil following the excavation.

Furthermore, once finished, the building will be naturally cool and humid, requiring no energy input. Michel also said that it was the first cellar of its type in Champagne, before adding that the approach was much more expensive that more traditional technique, and a “huge investment” for the producer.

“It will cost three to four times more than a modern cellar with air conditioning, but once it is finished, there will be nothing to do – like a Roman building, it can stay like this for centuries,” he said.

Embracing oenotourism in Urville

It’s hoped that the cellar will be ready in time to store bottles from this year’s harvest. As for why Drappier needs the new space, Michel said, “We have been slowly increasing the number of bottles we stock, but we have delayed the decision to invest [in building a new storage facility], because I wanted to involve my children.”

With Michel’s three children now part of the business – Hugo, Antoine and Charline – and approving the investment, the building work has gone ahead.

Nevertheless, Michel stressed, “Our first investment has been the vineyard [both in terms of acquistions and management], and the second is in the quality of the wine.”

Regarding he former, he also said, “We have just bought 1.6 hectares of beautiful Pinot Noir in Les Riceys.”

Looking further ahead, Drappier’s other investment concerns wine tourism.

In time for the summer of 2027, the maison hopes to open a facility with a spa, “small restaurant”, and 10 bedrooms.

This will be housed in a historic building in Urville within walking distance of Champagne Drappier’s current headquarters.

This house has internal walls dating back to the 11^th century, and had once belonged to the Comtes de Champagne, and then the monks of Clairvaux, according to Michel.

He recorded, “I have had an idea to do this [offer a facility for visitors] for the past 15 years but I did not want to build something modern, I wanted something true to our terroir and history, and the house is the oldest in Urville.”

Once renovated to provide the accommodation, restaurant and spa, Michel said that it would offer a first in the area. “There is no place here where you can be in a Champagne house, and dine, and sleep, and there is no spa,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that around 40 minutes from Urville is “a beautiful restaurant” called Le Garde Champêtre in Gyé-sur-Seine, which is owned by Aube Champagne grower-producer Cédric Bouchard.

Moving away from Brut NV

As for the producer’s sales performance last year, Michel said that Drappier was “down 1% in volume”, although the house was “up a bit” in turnover, because “the mix is slightly better, not because we have increased prices.”

Explaining, he said, “Ten years ago, Carte d’Or [Drappier’s Brut NV] was 80% of our sales, whereas today it is less than 50% – we are selling more and more grower Champagne from Drappier, such as our Brut Nature, Rosé Nature, and Quattuor.”

Looking ahead, Michel believes this year “will be tough”, before adding, “But we are small compared to the big players and we have not put all our eggs in the same basket.”

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