The hilltop village of Urville, first planted to vines some 2,000 years ago by the Gallo-Romans, has been the home of the Drappier family for eight generations. They established their estate back in 1808, surrounding the spectacularly preserved Clairvaux Abbey founded by the Cistercian monk, Saint Bernard, back in 1152. The family makes use of the seven centuries-old caves dug under the domaine for wine storage to this day!

Champagne production began here following World War I and was not without a fair bit of family controversy. Georges Collot, the grandfather of today’s patriarch, Michel Drappier, was taunted with the nickname “Old Man Pinot” following his insistence to plant the uncommon pinot noir grape here as the core varietal of their Champagne production. It would soon account for 70% of the Drappier plantings – and today – a similar 70% pinot noir can be found across the entire region as they eventually emulated the Drappier style. It seems “Old Man Pinot” was simply a visionary!

For their Extra Brut Clarevallis cuvee, the blend stands at 75% pinot noir, followed by 10% pinot meunier, 10% chardonnay, and 5% blanc vrai – a common name for pinot blanc in this part of Champagne. The wine pours a lustrous copper-gold, with an energetic array of aromas – from iron ore to red apples, to acacia flowers, and orange blossoms. The mouthfeel is oily and dry, with a light honey note kissing a voluminous core of baked pears, dried apricots, and cherry hand pies. The finish tingles and sparkles – a sort of struck flint note mingled with Szechuan peppercorns that dance across the tongue for a good thirty seconds. This is exceptionally clean, yet uniquely complex – which I imagine is the ultimate hope of any winemaker making use of minimal interventionist practices, on fully organic fruit, in a wine that is treated with very, very little sulfur. It’s a worthy effort by any standard, and one you’re not likely to find easily here in the USA!