Pinot Meunier

For those of you who don't know, Pinot Meunier is the sister grape of Pinot Noir. It is primarily grown in France and is usually used to make champagne. The visual difference of the Meunier grape is that the leaves have a dusty white down on the underside that resembles flour. There are very few wineries in the US that do grow and use the grape, but Vee and I were lucky enough to visit one of them on our honeymoon to northern California. Domaine Chandon in Yountville, CA uses Pinot meunier in the making of their popular sparkling wines. They also produce Pinot meunier as a still wine in limited quantities. One can only purchase a bottle of Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier from the winery's own gift shop. We purchased it for $35 after taking a tour of the winery.

I was really excited to try this wine because I enjoy pinot noir a lot, however it wasn't actually what I expected. On the nose I got hints of cinnamon and other dark spices and I would describe the berry smells as dark too. I also got a hint of leather. It was very bold.

The taste of the wine was complex to me. It wasn't like any pinot I have had, it was much bolder and had a nice long finish, but it kind of attacked my tongue. The tannins were definitely high in this wine. It had a nice full body to it. I got good hints of berry, but not really fruity, just a blunt berry flavor. It went well with our chocolate fondue, though.

I could really see how this grape contributes to sparkling wine well, but I don't know if I would actually get into this as a still wine like I thought I would. Its definitely worth a sample if you ever get an opportunity to do so.