PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Grande Sendrée is Drappier’s prestige cuvée, one of the first single-vineyard Champagnes, from a historic parcel in Urville, in the Côte des Bar, which is owned by the family of Micheline Drappier. The name comes from the French word for “cinders,” for the land that was covered in ashes after a fire ravaged Urville in 1838, and a spelling error in a later land register turned “cendrée” into “sendrée.” The parcel is made of Jurassic Kimmeridgian limestone, and it’s farmed organically. The Grande Sendrée is made only in exceptional vintages, and the Rosé even more rarely.
The 2018 is a saignée rosé, meaning the pink color comes from bleeding off juice from destemmed Pinot Noir after a three-day cold maceration, and 30% Chardonnay is added for freshness and lift (70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay). Only the first pressing is used, from a low-pressure plate press, and the wine is vinified by gravity and settled naturally, with malolactic fermentation. It is neither filtered nor decolored, with very low sulfite content, and 90% is aged in large oak vats. It then spends six years in bottle before disgorgement (April 2025) with a dosage of just 4 g/L, made from a liqueur aged 15 years in wood.
Drappier says the 2018 vintage was “characterized by contrasting weather conditions”: “After a cool and rainy spring, summer arrived with high temperatures and abundant sunshine, promoting optimal ripening of the grapes,” so “the vines produced generous clusters, rich in aromas and sugars.” The producer’s tasting note: “A complex nose opening with notes of strawberry, pomegranate, and violet, with toasted nuances. Round and supple, yet with a taut backbone. The palate reveals red fruits and candied orange; it is both fresh and complex. A powerful and elegant Champagne.”
Critics agree. James Suckling scored it 94 points in July 2026: “Austere and tight with a whiff of reduction, showing chalky aromas, roses, strawberries and red currants. Light- to medium-bodied, vinous and chewy on the palate, with firm texture and a polished, mineral-laden finish. Drink or hold.” The Wine Advocate scored it 93+ and noted that the wine, “disgorged in April 2025 with a dosage of four grams per liter, is already showing beautifully.” For house-style context, the Wine Advocate’s review of the 2010 Rosé called it “a very serious Champagne that’s still playing its cards close to its vest, and it will amply repay five or six years’ patience, even if it can be pleasurably broached sooner,” and William Kelley has called Drappier “the most underrated house in Champagne.”
It’s a vinous, mineral, food-friendly rosé Champagne at the serious end of the style, and best served at about 8°C in a white wine glass. The producer suggests pairing with a saffron cream of mussels soup, a crayfish salad, or monkfish blancmange, and it’s equally good with salmon, duck breast, and aged Parmesan.
Drappier Grande Sendrée Rosé 2018 is produced by Champagne Drappier (founded 1808) in Urville, Aube (Côte des Bar), Champagne, France, from the Grande Sendrée parcel on Jurassic Kimmeridgian limestone, organically cultivated. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay. Saignée rosé with a three-day maceration, cold pre-fermentation maceration of destemmed grapes, first pressing only, gravity-fed, natural settling, malolactic fermentation, unfiltered and non-decolored. 90% aged in large oak vats, six years in bottle, disgorged April 2025. 4 g/L dosage (liqueur aged 15 years in wood). 750ml.
James Suckling — 94 Points (July 2026):
“Austere and tight with a whiff of reduction, showing chalky aromas, roses, strawberries and red currants. Light- to medium-bodied, vinous and chewy on the palate, with firm texture and a polished, mineral-laden finish. Drink or hold.”
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate — 93+ Points:
“Disgorged in April 2025 with a dosage of four grams per liter, the 2018 Grande Sendrée Rosé is already showing beautifully...”
Wine Advocate (2010 Rosé; house-style context) — 93+ Points:
“This is a very serious Champagne that’s still playing its cards close to its vest, and it will amply repay five or six years’ patience, even if it can be pleasurably broached sooner.”
Champagne Drappier (tasting note):
“A complex nose opening with notes of strawberry, pomegranate, and violet, with toasted nuances. Round and supple, yet with a taut backbone. The palate reveals red fruits and candied orange; it is both fresh and complex. A powerful and elegant Champagne.”
Nose
Strawberry, pomegranate, and violet, with rose, red currant, chalk, and toasted nuances.
Palate
Round and supple, vinous, and chewy, with red fruit and candied orange, a taut backbone, and firm texture.
Finish
Polished and mineral, with chalk and a long, persistent line.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Vintage Brut Rosé Champagne — Saignée, Single Parcel |
| Blend | 70% Pinot Noir · 30% Chardonnay |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Producer | Champagne Drappier — Urville, Aube (founded 1808) |
| Vineyard | Grande Sendrée parcel; Kimmeridgian limestone; organic |
| Aging | 90% in large oak vats; 6 years in bottle; disgorged April 2025 |
| Dosage | 4 g/L (liqueur aged 15 years in wood) |
| Filtration | Unfiltered, non-decolored; very low sulfites |
| Critics | James Suckling 94 · Wine Advocate 93+ |
| Serving Temperature | 8°C |
| Style / Identity | A vinous, mineral, organic single-parcel rosé Champagne with firm structure |
| Aromas & Flavors | Strawberry, pomegranate, violet, red currant, candied orange, chalk |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Serve at about 8°C in a white wine glass rather than a flute.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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