Drappier: The 12th Century Cellars & Rarest Grape

How to Complete

4 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. 📜 1

   Touch the 12th Century Walls

   history Free

   These walls were built by monks from Clairvaux Abbey (Saint Bernard's monks) in the oldest section of the cellar — 870+ years of continuous wine production connecting Burgundy to Champagne. Ask your guide specifically: "Can you show us the 12th century section?" and they'll point out the difference in stone. Touch the 1152 stonework that has witnessed nearly nine centuries of winemaking.

   🔄 BACKUP: Even without the guide pointing it out, the oldest stones are darker and more weathered.

   🍷 Log Memory
2. 🍷 2

   Taste Arbane - The Rarest Grape

   wine $$

   Arbane is the rarest of Champagne's 7 permitted grapes with less than 12 hectares existing worldwide, and Drappier owns 75% of it. The wine tastes utterly unique — more mineral, less fruit than typical Champagne. Book the "Quatuor" tasting (includes Arbane) or ask specifically for Arbane in the tasting room after the cellar tour. Price: approximately €25-35.

   🔄 BACKUP: If Arbane is sold out (happens), ask when the next release is and if they have any in the shop for purchase.

   🍷 Log Memory
3. 🍷 3

   Find the Ovum (3,342L Egg Vessel)

   wine $

   A 3,342-liter concrete egg-shaped vessel creates natural convection during fermentation — no stirring needed — and it's visually stunning in the production area. Only special cuvées are made in this Ovum. Ask specifically: "Can we see the Ovum?" since not all tours show it automatically, and request they light it for photography.

   🔄 BACKUP: If not accessible that day, ask about the philosophy behind it - the guides love explaining.

   🍷 Log Memory
4. 🍷 4

   Buy a Bottle of Quatuor (4 Rare Grapes)

   Optional

   wine $$$

   Quatuor contains all 4 "forgotten" Champagne grapes: Arbane, Petit Meslier, Blanc Vrai, and Pinot Blanc — the only way to taste them all in one bottle. Purchase this €50-60 treasure in the shop after your tasting, and ask about vertical vintages if you're a collector since some years showcase the rare grapes better than others.

   🔄 BACKUP: If Quatuor is unavailable, buy separate bottles of Arbane and Petit Meslier.

   🍷 Log Memory

Insider Tips

• ✦

  Drappier is one of the few houses where English tours are reliably available

• ✦

  Book ahead but walk-ins sometimes work - call first

• ✦

  Michel Drappier saved Arbane from extinction - ask about the history

• ✦

  The family still runs everything - you might meet them

• ✦

  Pair with Clairvaux Abbey (22 km) - the monks who built these cellars founded that abbey

• ✦

  They make a still red wine (Coteaux Champenois) that's excellent and rare