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Drappier hatches ‘alternative approach’ to champagne maturation

The wine, of which there are only 3,000 bottles produced from this first vintage, has been matured for three years on lees in an oak egg, or ‘Ovum’, reflected in the name ‘Éclose’, which means ‘to hatch’ – with the technique being a first in Champagne.

Speaking at the launch at Hide restaurant in Mayfair, Hugo Drappier, eighth generation scion of the innovative Champagne house, described the vessel as delivering a more complex wine, revealing “evolution and energy”.

Drappier explained that the inspiration came about with the realisation that, “we had done as much as we could on the grape side, so we thought, ‘what can we do with the elevage?’.

“We thought about the idea of the egg, we considered concrete, terracotta, stainless steel, but with champagne we need the freshness, the sharpness, we need the elegance, so in the end we had oak and Taransaud were the one’s to create it.”

After an initial experiment, the 2012 vintage was chosen as a suitably worthy year to begin the maturation of what would become the first release of Éclose, premiered in New York and London to mark its innovative ambition.

Drappier added: “From the Sendré lieu-dit, remarkable for its Kimmeridgian limestone soils combined with red clay, we set out to go beyond terroir alone – to extract and shape a rare wine through extended ageing in a wooden egg and maturation on the lees under cork and staple.

“Our aim was to create a champagne true to the Drappier style, recognised for its vinosity, its elegant expression of Pinot Noir vinified as a white wine, and its Extra Brut freshness, while also crafting a wine of real density.”

Aube-based Drappier has long been known for its pioneering approach, being the first in Champagne to produce a sulphite free cuvée, Brut Nature Sans Soufre, and with very low or no dosage wines long having informed its portfolio. The producer also has all nine of the permitted grape varieties planted, producing a rare single varietal Fromenteau (Pinot Gris) called Trop M’en Faut!.

The Éclose, which follows the Extra Brut and Pinot Noir-led character of the producer’s wider portfolio, combines a poised freshness with that aimed for vinosity, drinking incredibly well now, but with years ahead of it in terms of extra maturity.

“For our family, this represents the ‘crème de la crème’ – a true culmination,” Drappier later said of the launch.