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2005 Pinot Meunier
Where is it grown? Pinot Meunier is grown in cooler climates like the Champagne region of France and the Willamette Valley in Oregon. This varietal is a good match to our cool Willamette Valley climate. The vines bud a little later in the spring, helping to avoid frost, and ripen just ahead of Pinot Noir, making it to the winery before the fall rains and ahead of the birds! How is it used? Pinot Meunier is most notably a blending grape in Champagne. About 27,000 acres of Pinot Meunier blanket the Champagne region. In fact, the largest percentage of vineyard acreage in Champagne, upwards of 40%, is planted to Pinot Meunier. This is followed by Pinot Noir at about 35% and Chardonnay around 25%. What is it like in Champagne? Pinot Meunier has a slightly higher natural acidity than Pinot Noir and gives some brightness and fruitiness to Champagne blends. Prestigious champagne houses like Veuve Cliquot and Krug have a long history with Pinot Meunier. An interesting piece of history is that the Deutz family has been using Pinot Meunier in its champagnes since the 1800s. It seems the house's founder, William Deutz, was granted about 41 acres of Pinot Meunier vineyards in a dowry. What is it like as a still wine? While not the same as Pinot Noir, this varietal did not “fall far from the tree” so to speak. Pinot Meunier wine is appreciated for its aromatics, fruitiness amd soft tannins. It is a varietal that usually provides its most pleasure when consumed within 3 to 5 years of the vintage. The vintage: Amalie Robert Estate marked its 6th growing season in 2005. The vintage was significantly cooler than recent past vintages, and started the year much drier. However, it was Bruce Weber, a “veteran” wine grower, who said: “Oregon gets about the same amount of moisture every year. You just don’t know what month you are going to get it!” Mother Nature helped us out with rains just after bloom, but before flowering. She is good, very good. Harvest began in earnest on September 30th and was finished on October 18th. The weather was beautiful and the fruit was fully mature, clean and healthy. Tasting Notes: This is our first commercial release of Pinot Meunier. Oddly enough, we sold the first crop to a local sparkling wine producer! We find this Pinot Meunier opens with very delicate aromas of strawberries, maraschino cherries, cinnamon and lavender. The palate is rich and intense with blueberries, plums and soft tannins that help create the lingering sensation of five spice. We recommend the same stemware you would use for Pinot Noir. Suggested Food Pairings: We found the wine to be incredibly food friendly during our research trials. The usual suspects include anything that would pair with Pinot Noir, but we also found that game including rabbit, venison and elk were an irresistible match. Rich dishes such as Steak Dianne and Mu Shu Pork were also quite complementary. Soft cheeses including Morbier and Camembert were very rewarding combinations. 75 cases produced. Accolades: Northwest Palate Magazine May/June 2007 Clear, cherry aromas are basic but winsome, while in the mouth soft flavors of cherry pie filling and graham are succulent. There is an appealing warmth to this medium-bodied wine; a touch of sour cherry tartness adds interest on the long finish. |
