Pinot Meunier, a rising Champagne star

Have you ever wondered what grapes are used to make Champagne? Recently my wine news feed has been filled with photos of Chamapagne's grape harvest. As I see these images, Pinot Meunier immediately pops into my mind. My interest in Pinot Meunier was sparked by Spaswinefood's spring travels in France’s Champagne wine country. Besides getting to know the region, during our outings my primary focus shifted to learning about how Pinot Meunier is used in making Champagne. I was determine to gain insights into the use of Pinot Meunier, given it is one of the three grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier) used in Champagne production. This post will share a few of those discoveries.

Springtime in the Vineyard, Vrigny © Spaswinefood

Champagne Lelarge Pugeot Vineyard, Vrigny © Spaswinefood

Getting to Know Pinot Meunier
While in Reims we explored nearby villages, like Vrigny. I soon discovered that while Pinot Meunier is commonly used as a blend in Champagne, in some cases Champagne is made with 100% Pinot Meunier. Pinot Meunier is recognized for the body and richness it adds to Champagne. While it has typically been given less recognition than Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier has been accepted as the quiet workhorse. This grape has advantages over Chardonnay and Pinot Noir because (1) the bud breaks later and hence it is less prone to frost damage, and (2) it matures quicker than Pinot Noir. Traditionally it has been used in blends to soften non-vintage Champagne wines. Historically Champagne producers have focused on making blended wines however, recently there has been a shift towards single grape variety. The increasing popularity of single variety Champagnes, like Pinot Meunier, has also been helped by the increasing popularity of Grower Champagnes. In addition, in 2015 Eric Taillet of Champagne Eric Taillet founded the Meunier Institut. Given the growing interest in the use of Pinot Meunier in Champagne production, we can look forward to hearing about it in the future.

Breaking Buds, Champagne Lelarge Pugeot, Vrigny © Spaswinefood

More Breaking Buds, Champagne Lelarge Pugeot © Spaswinefood

Besides seeing breaking buds in the vineyards throughout Champagne wine country, later in the Village of Hautevillers, I observed all three types of Champagne grape vines.

Champagne G. Tribaut, Hautevillers © Spaswinefood

I remember when we arrived at Champagne G. Tribaut, Hautevillers there were signs marking the three grape varieties (cepages).

Chardonnay, Champagne G. Tribault © Spaswinefood

Pinot Noir, Champagne G. Tribaut © Spaswinefood

Meunier, Champagne G. Tribaut © Spaswinefood

Given my curiosity I could not help but notice signs, marking the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grape vines.  

Wine Tasting, Champagne G. Tribaut © Spaswinefood

During a wine tasting I noticed that Champagne G. Tribaut uses Pinot Meunier grapes in their Cuvée de Réserve and Demi-sec Champagnes.

Champagne G. Tribaut Wines © Spaswinefood

Overall throughout the Champagne-Ardene region we commonly found that Pinot Meunier being used as a blend in the wines. We also quickly discovered its use in rosé Champagnes. When you think of a rosé Champagne, most likely you'll think first of Pinot Noir, but hey it might not be only Pinot Noir. One example is, Bonnie Crinque Rosé Brut NV, which one of the first rosé Champagnes that I had in Reims at L'alambic Restaurant.

L'alambic, Reims © Spaswinefood

Champagne Bonnie Crinque Rosé Brut NV © Spaswinefood

This Bonnie Crinque Rosé Brut NV (40% Pinot Meunier, 45% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay) was quite pleasant. After discovering this we would often order a rosé Champagnes with Pinot Meunier.

Lunch, Le Petit Boursault © Spaswinefood

Our Champagne vine-filled explorations, included visiting a few wine bars. When we dropped by Le Wine Bar, Reims we ordered a bottle of Pinot Meunier, a still wine, to help develop a better understanding of this grape variety's characteristics. 

Pinot Meunier, Le Wine Bar © Spaswinefood

Continuing our travels through Champagne wine country meant that we had the opportunity to not only taste Pinot Meunier as a still wine, a blend in Champagne wines, but also as a Champagne made with 100% Pinot Meunier. Two such examples of Champagne made with 100% Pinot Meunier included:

1. Champagne Piot-Sévillano, Vincelles

Champagne Piot-Sévillano, Vincelles © Spaswinefood

While driving through Vincelles we saw Champagne Piot-Sévillano sign suggesting that they were open. 

Champagne Piot-Sévillano © Spaswinefood

Here we tasted their Brut Rosé (60% Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir, 15%) and Cuvée Provocante (100% Meunier). While we only tasted these two wines, the majority of their wines are made with Pinot Meunier having the highest percentage in the blend.

Champagne Piot-Sévillano, Brut Rose NV  © Spaswinefood

Champagne Piot-Sévillano, Provocante NV © Spaswinefood

We were much enjoyed visiting this independent vigneron.

Visiting Champagne Piot-Sévillano © Spaswinefood

2. Louis Casters, Damery

Another Champagne tasting took us to Louis Casters in Damery.

 Royal Moments, Champagne Louis Casters © Spaswinefood

Amongst the wines we tasted that included Pinot Meunier was their Rosé Brut (Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), and Cuvée Supérieure Brut (100% Pinot Meunier). Yes, we toasted the royal couple with a Louis Casters Champagne.

Champagne Moment, Louis Casters © Spaswinefood

After four days, using Reims as our base, we relocated to Epernay for three days. This plan allowed us to not only drop by major Champagne houses, but also visit nearby villages to discover some of the smaller producers, and view the vineyards during our drives through the countryside. We soon discovered that the vineyards of Champagne are quite beautiful in the springtime.

Travels in Champagne-Ardene, France © Spaswinefood

Champagne Moments with Pinot Meunier 

The use of Champagne to mark special occasions is a tradition, dating back to the the royal courts of Europe in the 1700's. By the late 19th century it became popular to mark special occasions. Later in the Mosel Valley, Germany we shared Champagne wines at breakfast. Yes, we brought some Pinot Meunier to share at our #winelover gathering.

Breakfast, Staffelter Hof © Spaswinefood

A Staffelter Hof Breakfast © Spaswinefood

For those Champagne Moments we brought Pinot Meunier Champagne to share. This was an easy decision, given we had arrived in the Mosel Valley, after spending a week in Champagne. The two Champagnes were a Louis Casters and a Piot-Sévillano, both 100% Pinot Meunier.

Louis Casters & Champagne Piot-Sévillano, Pinot Meunier NV

Louis Casters & Piot-Sévillano © Spaswinefood

Obviously, I were much enjoyed getting to know, and sharing these Champagnes made with 100% Pinot Meunier. Without a doubt my experiences while in the Champagne region helped to advance my limited understanding of Pinot Meunier. Still, I have much to learn about this rising star in the world of Champagne. It is this continual learning that makes wine travel so exciting. I invite you to join me in my travels in the Champagne Region, France and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon

Epernay, France

May 2018

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Cepage Meunier © Spaswinefood

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