THE MYSTERY OF MEUNIER
The Mystery of Meunier
Like many other wine professionals, I’m attracted to the underdogs of wine. A combination of enthusiasm for new wines of less common grapes and an overreaction to the mountainous volume of mass production wines. Quality however rarely equals the level of obscurity as some grapes make better wines when used in blends. Trapped in this category is Pinot Meunier, the underappreciated grape that has historically been regulated to vineyards of poor climate and soils that keep more prestigious grapes from being grown. The promise and potential of this grape though is too good to be left studying in books over being poured into wine glasses. To uncover the mystery of Meunier I sought out a variety of full expressions and the small producers who have never forgotten their affection and continue to bottle love letters to the grape under cork.
History
Pinot Meunier was once thought to be a crossing of Pinot Noir but according to the Meunier Institute, an advocacy group created in 2015 for the recognition of the grape, the work of biologist Dr Carole Meredith has shown that it is another mutation like Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc. Its leaves have a distinct white appearance on their lower surface due to an abundance of many fine white hairs, leading to the name of Meunier or “Miller” as people felt this resembled a flour like texture. In the challenging growing conditions of Champagne, the grape would become popular for its hardy durability and production. Resistant to winter and spring frosts while also prized for its ability to blend harmoniously with the other grapes of the region. According to the Comité Champagne, the trade association representing independent producers and Champagne Houses, the grape accounts for 32% of vineyard plantings. Historically the Vallée de la Marne region of Champagne has been where this grape thrives, with frost prone cold air that discourages Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plantings. Author David White in his book, But First, Champagne states that Pinot Meunier makes up 61% of the total vines here with Premier and Grand Cru vineyard sites planted to a majority of Pinot Noir. These once marginal vineyard sites of poor climate and soils left little alternative to the robust Meunier grape, cementing its use for quantity and lowering its reputation. Today a growing number of ambitious vignerons and winemakers of the Marne Valley such as Christophe Baron, produce single vineyard wines with the goal of highlighting grape to soil like never before. Christophe describes his philosophy behind making distinctive Meunier only wines as,
““Single vineyard, single vintage, single grape and no dosage.””
2016 JM SELEQUE SOLISTE MEUNIER CHAMPAGNE
The 2016 JM Sélèque Soliste Meunier Les Gouttes d’Or Champagne is grown in Pierry, a Premier Cru village with 50% Meunier vines. Planted originally in 1951, it has the bright lemon tartness expected from a non-malolactic Champagne. 4 years lees aging under cork before disgorgement provides an oxidative aged character of straw and hay with a sourdough tang and red apple skin bite. A low dosage of 2 g/l while still possessing fruity aromas reminiscent of a sugary waft that bursts out of a freshly opened bag of marshmallows.
Meunier Taste Profile
What Pinot Meunier offers is fruit, often red and bold. These youthful fruit aromas add a pleasantness that can either be described as compelling or uncomplex depending how you feel about the grape. On its lighter side the grape offers notes of cranberry, and rose petal, building to strawberry, cherry and watermelon. In riper vintages expect blueberry, plum and black cherry but overall, the heart of this fruit beats red. For a grape often described as fruit forward, I was often impressed with the lemon tart acidity of these wines which allows for graceful aging. With age the fruit profile becomes dried and can be described as having honey, walnut, licorice and forest undergrowth flavors that develop with 4 to 8 years of maturity.
Image from the Comite Champagne, an amazing source of information for all things Champagne.
Champagne Producers
Pinot Meunier is no secret to Billecart-Salmon, a majority portion is used in the blend for their Non-Vintage Brut Réserve but this limited bottling of NV Les Rendez-Vous Meunier No 1 Extra Brut represents an experimental opportunity to showcase what they can do with this historical third wheel grape of Champagne. The red fruits of Pinot Meunier are showcased well here with refreshing red raspberry and red currant along with delicious white cherry. The wine also possesses a deeper intensity of black cherry and licorice that is hard to reveal. A pleasant toasty smokiness is here against a background of fruity cotton candy aroma that adds further complexity. Subtle in the background there is slight straw or grain quality but stainless-steel fermentation and juice from only the first grape pressings keep things fresh and vibrant. Extensive 52-month aging on lees and 4.5 g/l dosage impart a creamy almost whole milk like texture that contrasts beautifully against the tart lemon zest and shortbread cookie flavors and aromas. It would be an understatement to say this experiment was a success. Wow, what more could you want from a Champagne.
Perhaps there is no greater lover of Pinot Meunier than Laherte Frères, who manages over 11 hectares of grapes throughout Champagne, many of them Meunier. The Non-Vintage Laherte Frères Rosé de Meunier is made with older vines about 30 years of age, 2.5 g/l dosage and fermentation in a combination of foudres, barrels and vats. Skin macerated Meunier combines with direct pressed white juice with a small amount of finished red wine all from the Meunier grape. This rosé captures a nice freshness of cranberry and blood orange citrus alongside classic strawberry, raspberry and watermelon flavors.
The NV Laherte Frères Les Beaudiers Rosé de Saignée is a crimson wine of intensity, with some vines in the vineyard planted as early as 1953. This producer chooses to pick at full ripeness along with destemming and up to 14 hours of maceration. Fermentation occurs with natural yeasts in barrel with no malolactic fermentation, hand disgorgment and up to 4.5 g/l dosage. The flavors of this wine start with rose petal and pomegranate and quickly increase with intensity to a very ripe watermelon and red cherry. The wine finishes with a heavy dried strawberry and viscous blueberry vigor that quickly becomes too heavy and rich for my enjoyment. A background of tangy beet and leesy cheese rind aroma is also present.
Growing Regions and Conditions
Photo courtesy of Andre Heucq, advocate of Cuisles terroir and the Meunier grape.
The calcerous soils of Champagne are very agreeable for Meunier, in particular the village of Cuisles. Here a nutrient rich greenish clay soil called illite is distributed between layers of sand and chalky clay, helping to impart a rich mineral character to the wines while also retaining water more efficiently than its chalky clay soil counterpart. The 12th generation grower Moussé Fils, calls these conditions home, dedicating around 80% of their vines to Meunier and has the distinction of being the first member of the Club Tresors to produce a pure expression of the grape as a Special Club Champagne.
The 2017 Moussé Fils Brut “Les Fortes Terres” Special Club Champagne is a game changer for what I thought this grape could express. This single vineyard is located in Cuisles where south facing hillside slopes and soil diversity help produce such a wide range of exotic fruits of mandarin orange, papaya, white cherry and even guava! A welcomed change of pace from the usual red fruit dominance that the grape offers. Great freshness and texture which all combines for one amazing Champagne. 36 months aging with no fining and 0.5 g/l dosage. The 2017 Moussé Fils Infusion de Meunier Les Bouts de la Ville Special Club Champagne is Meunier in all its intensity and power, gaining its crimson hue from a 3-day skin contact saignée. Red fleshy watermelon at the height of summer ripeness mixes with red delicious cherry and an earthy rhubarb. Tangy lemon freshness, cranberry and bright ruby grapefruit provide a contrast for the papaya and plum fruit boldness. A wonderful balance between a heavy and light intensity while still capturing lighting vibrancy under cork.
The grape is also experiencing a renaissance of exploration, grown in different regions and soils throughout the United States. The Rogue Valley in southern Oregon grows Meunier in the warm rain shadow of the Siskiyous Mountains in a jumble of soils including sandstone and granite. Irvine & Roberts Meunier is often the first introduction domestically for wine lovers to a non-sparkling version but many are made across the globe, visit Please the Palate for a great review of these wines.
In Santa Maria Valley California the grape is grown on the bank of the Sisquoc River on alluvial soils formed by past sediments of clay, silt, sand and gravel along with cobblestones that provide drainage. The 2016 Riverbench Cork Jumper Pinot Meunier is grown here, made in the traditional method with limited production. The wine features no dosage, amplifying its lean nature and yeasty background which the winery describes as rye bread. Straw and hay aromas combine with lemon and white grapefruit tartness. The fruit character here was a little too lean for my taste and would recomend examples from Champagne compared to this new world version.
One of the more unique versions of Pinot Meunier comes from Moussé Fils and their La Vie En Meunier Ratafia. Ratafia de Champagne falls under the sweet fortified category of wine or vin de liqueur, a combination of brandy and unfermented grape juice usually from third or fourth grape pressings. It was awarded a Protected Geographical Indication in 2015 from the French board of appellations with its long and rich history of production within Champagne. The wine has great freshness for how intense the flavors are with red fruits of raspberry syrup, strawberry brulé, and cherry liqueur. Candied hazelnut, dried honey and burnt caramel round out the mature complexity of the grape as well as walnut liqueur and aromas of the finest maple syrup.
I expected after tasting the Champagnes featured here of various cellar, viticulture, and bottle aging choices, the mystery of the grape to decline. Instead, it sparkles even brighter. To label Meunier as only fruity would take away from the complexity and potential it’s capable of expressing when given winemakers and soils of distinction. When wine lovers talk about terroir, they often bring up a sense of place but just as important is a sense of time. An omission of the past, today Pinot Meunier has begun to be celebrated by many of the most diligent winemakers, crafting highly sought-after and high scoring wines. We are lucky to enjoy the journey with them, filling our wine glasses with each new attempt at perfection.
