Champagne Drappier Quattuor NV Champagne

It is all we can do not to squeal with excitement and thump the desk as we write our thoughts on this totally unique Champagne.

A family 'grower' House (i.e. they make wine from their own grapes), Drappier have decided to depart from the classic Champagne varieties of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay and explore the forgotten, historic varieties of Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Blanc Vrai. Using 25% each of these varieties, with the last 25% being Chardonnay, Drappier have created a fine and rare Champagne.

It is magically elegant, with fresh aromas of white grapes and lemon peel evolving into honeyed apples and figs. A chiselled, mineral finish really puts the feather in Quattuor's cap. You need this Champagne in your life.

Champagne Drappier is a family house dedicated to Pinot Noir. They use natural methods in the vineyard, no sulphur or very little in the cellars and no filtration. They produce fantastically expressive, good value Champagnes. Once occupied by Cistercian monks from Clairvaux Abbey, the seat of the House includes some magnificent 12th century vaulted cellars. They are the former supplier of Charles de Gaulle.

Cultivated in as natural way as possible, the vineyard extends over 100 hectares and is the key asset of the house. Since 1808, the Drappier family has selected particularly exposed and highly calcareous plots, mostly located around Urville, where Pinot Noir is able to achieve its finest expression, producing very aromatic and elegant wines.

Quattuor is unusual in that it is made with forgotten grape varieties, historically used in Champagne, and only now being revived by a few, more experimental Houses. In this case, those grapes are: Arbanne (25%), Petit Meslier (25%) and Blanc Vrai 25%, alongside the classic Chardonnay (25%), which supplies an elegant and persistent note. Quatuour is a mineral and chiselled Champagne, with aromas of very fresh grapes, citrus fruit, white flowers and honeyed apples.