Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier 2005, Carneros
5th April 2008
Some wines are worth trying merely for their curiosity value. Ripassa is one such; this is another. Pinot Meunier is one of the obscurer grape varietals, though it ought to be better known, being one of the three grapes permitted in Champagne. “Meunier” means “miller”. According to legend the grape was so named because the underside of its leaves seemed dusted with flour. (Do peasants really dream up these fancies, or do marketing men cynically invent them for the benefit of credulous townies? I often wonder.)
Pinot Meunier is a half-sibling of Pinot Noir, possessing more acidity and less colour and tannin. It is used chiefly to lend extra fruitiness and brightness to Champagne blends. Until recently it had not occurred to anyone to make a single-varietal red wine out of it, but with so much competition and pressure to innovate, sooner or later someone was bound to try. There have been moderately successful examples from Oregon and Australia, but most interest surrounds the versions from California.
Domaine Chandon is an offshoot of the Moët & Chandon Champagne house, one of the first French houses to buy property in California in the early 1970s. As you would expect, they make sparkling wines in the methode traditionelle style of the parent region. I can testify that these are delicious. Later they added a number of still wines to their range: a Chardonnay or two, some Pinot Noirs that I am anxious to try, and also this Pinot Meunier.
From 1989 to 1999 it was made in small quantities and sold only at the vineyard. But from the 2000 vintage onwards Chandon decided to market it more widely. On first acquaintance it looks and smells like a Pinot Noir: the colour is brick-red, and the first flavours are those of a smoky, blackberryish Côte de Beaune. Then the taste swiftly develops into something completely unburgundian, involving cigars, mushrooms and coffee. It is so well balanced you are scarcely aware of its (14.5%) strength. The finish is long and distinctive.
Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier costs around $30 in the US. In the UK it has appeared at various festivals, but I am not sure if any retailer yet offers it.
