Champagne Drappier Buys Vineyard To Offset Losses From Frost

The Drappier family has bought 6.5 hectares of vineyards in its home village of Urville in the Côte des Bar, following two consecutive years of diminished supply due to spring frosts.

For eight generations the Drappier family has been cultivating what is authentic and natural in their pursuit of fine Champagne. However, after spring frost caused losses ranging from 20% to 90%, the decision to buy more vineyard land was made between three generations of the Drappier family. The new land will give Drappier greater control over its grape supply and they now own more land than they source fruit from. Drappier owns a total of 60 hectares, while it takes bunches from a further 50 hectares, both from contract growers and land leased by Drappier. The additional 6.5 hectares, which were added to the Drappier estate in spring this year, will also help offset losses in grape supply due to frosts in 2016, and again in 2017.

The decision was made based on the experience of André Drappier, the vision of Michel Drappier, and the three children, who have recently joined the company. André Drappier is 90 years old and has been a grape grower for 70 years and Michel is the experimental winemaker of the Aube. Michel’s children, Hugo (serves as Head of the estate), Antoine (cultivates the organic estate with horses), and Charline (in charge of business development, marketing, and communication) were also involved. The major decision anchors once more Drappier’s philosophy of focusing on the grape quality acting for the next generations and always. The land will be enough to satisfy the demand of the estate-only 100% Pinot Noir Brut Nature and to face the historical frosts of spring 2016 and 2017.