
Drappier : Grande Sendrée 2012
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Description
Drappier crafts a great vintage Champagne, elegant and complex
The estate
Since its founding in 1808, the Champagne Drappier house has been closely tied to Pinot Noir, its grape variety of choice. In the 1930s, against the prevailing opinion in the village, this variety was replanted on the estate. History proved the house right: as an anecdote, the Drappier 100% Pinot Noir cuvée was General de Gaulle's favourite at family meals.
Today, the children of André and Micheline Drappier represent the eighth generation to tend this exceptional vineyard using organic and biodynamic viticulture. They also champion forgotten grape varieties such as Arbane, Petit Meslier and Blanc Vrai.
The vineyard
The Drappier Champagne house's vineyard lies south of Reims and covers 75 hectares. These are spread across the Côte des Bar with its old vines, the Montagne de Reims with its intense Pinot Noir and the Côte des Blancs with its finely crafted Chardonnay. This Champagne vineyard owes its distinctive character to its limestone-rich terroir and maximum sunshine. Some of the Drappier house's plots are also worked with draught horses.
The wine
Grande Sendrée 2012 Champagne is made from grapes grown on a group of plots with limestone soils known as "crayots", which date from the Kimmeridgian stage of the Jurassic period. In 1836, this patchwork of plots was caught up in a fire that devastated Urville. The cuvée takes its name from a spelling mistake: when the land register was copied out at the time, the name was written with an "s". Presented in a Louis XV-style bottle, this 2012 vintage Champagne from the Drappier house expresses the grape varieties and terroirs that gave rise to it. Its vines are farmed using organic and sustainable viticulture.
Winemaking and ageing
Drappier's Grande Sendrée 2012 Champagne comes from the first pressing, and the juice is vinified by gravity. Part of the wine (35%) is aged in large oak casks (foudres). In keeping with the house style, this Extra Brut Champagne has a low dosage (4.5 g/litre). It undergoes malolactic fermentation. Bottle ageing lasts 9 years. The dosage liqueur is itself aged in wood for 15 years, a practice unique to the house.
Blend
Pinot Noir (55%)
Chardonnay (45%)
Characteristics and tasting tips for Drappier Grande Sendrée 2012
Tasting
Nose
The complex nose charms with notes of cherry alongside aromas of white flowers and vanilla.
Palate
The palate reveals great complexity and carries through to a mineral, delicately spiced finish.
Food and wine pairings
Grande Sendrée 2012 is ideal as an aperitif. It also pairs well with fish (scallop carpaccio) and with cheese (Brillat Savarin).
Serving
For the best tasting experience, serve at 8°C.






