Pinot Meunier, the Cooper Manning of Forgotten Grapes

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Hike, Set, Down:

The Curious Similarities between Pinot Meunier and Peyton and Eli Manning’s older brother, Cooper

For the rest of the you, please read on.

Now imagine for a second you’re the first son of a famed college and pro quarterback. 6-foot-4 and athletically talented, you’re expected to follow in your dad’s footsteps, except you’re so much faster that they put you at wide receiver, where you still make your all-state team. The future looks bright ahead of you: your dad’s alma mater is all set to offer you a scholarship, the NFL seems like a near-certainty, and then one day you wake up with strange numbness in your hands and feet. A trip to the doctor and a battery of tests later, and your dream of playing football any further has been laid to waste by spinal stenosis, or the narrowing of the spinal column. Since one good solid hit could damage your spine and render you paralyzed, no more football for you.

Fortunately, your kid brother – two years younger than you – shows the same physical goods that you had and does follow Dad’s footsteps as a quarterback. As does your baby brother, seven years your junior. So as the good brother, you play with them, help them develop their skills on and off the football field, coach them when you can, and give them your undying support. You sit in the stands rooting them on as they both head off to remarkable college careers on the gridiron (although neither would win either the Heisman trophy or a national championship – although in the irony of ironies, your middle brother’s alma mater would finish the season #1 the year after he graduates) and become #1 overall draft picks in the NFL. And then not one brother but both brothers manage to win Super Bowls in back-to-back years, propelling the family name into the pantheon of all-time great sporting families...

Except nobody ever seems to remember that you’re part of the family.

Kind of sad, isn’t it? Well, this is the story of Cooper Manning, son of college football legend Archie Manning and older brother of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning. But at the same time, this story is surprisingly similar to the story of Pinot Meunier (pee-NO moon-YAY), the Forgotten Grape brother when it comes to the production of Champagne.

You see, there are three grapes legally allowed to produce the sparkling wine produced in the region just east of Paris known as Champagne. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, you should already know (and if you don’t, you’ve really stumbled onto the wrong kind of website for you). Those grapes even get their own designation when a Champagne is produced entirely from the particular varietal: Blanc de Blanc for Chardonnay and Blanc de Noir for Pinot Noir. But Pinot Meunier receives no designation, as there is no such thing as a 100% sparkling Pinot Meunier wine. In fact, it was only recently that Champagne producers even acknowledged the grape’s presence in Champagnes, and you will never see its name appear on a French label of bubbly. Instead, Pinot Meunier sits on the sidelines, rooting on its more famous brothers, offering support, body, richness, and brighter fruit flavors while letting the other two bask in the spotlight. Pinot Meunier has higher acid levels than Pinot Noir, which gives brightness and crispness to certain Champagne blends, but at the same time, the lower color and tannin levels of Pinot Meunier shorten the life of those same blends, forcing them to be drunk young rather than being able to age. It’s for these same reasons that you don’t often see Pinot Meunier produced in a red varietal form; if you can find it, it normally is only as a rose or lighter vin gris style of wine.

But a few producers out there – almost exclusively outside of France, in places like Germany, the U.S., and Australia – do produce red 100% varietal Pinot Meunier. Those wines may be tough to find because of their scarcity and the fact that most Pinot Meunier planted in those countries goes into sparkling wines, but they are worth seeking out, as they are usually light, crisp, highly drinkable red wines with a surprising level of complexity to them, wines that with a slight chill on them rival roses as the perfect quaff on a hot summer’s eve.

So once again, it’s time to answer the call. Help us get this Forgotten Grape off of the bench and back onto the playing field where it belongs. While its brothers have gotten their fair share of the fame, it’s time for people to start taking notice of Pinot
Meunier and giving it the credit and respect that it so readily deserves. And that
starts with you. Give me a M! Give me an E! Give me an U-N-I-E-R! What does
that spell? Meuiner! Meunier! Meunier! Hooray!

What It Looks Like, What It Smells Like, and What It Tastes Like

Pinot Meunier looks like:

Pinot Meunier smells like:

Pinot Meunier tastes like:

Pinot Meuniers tend to have bouquets of cranberry and cherry to them and one other strong particular scent: smoke. This is a natural smoky scent too; although some varietal Pinot Meuniers can be fermented in oak and maybe spend a year or two tops in barrels, the grapes themselves have a natural smokiness that comes through in the wine. Also, because of Pinot Meunier’s genetic connection to Pinot Noir, you might get some similar Pinot Noir aroma notes on a Pinot Meunier (primarily those cherry and smoke scents, but also some meaty or brambly notes as well). Depending on the amount of oak, you might also get a hint of vanilla in the nose of the wine as well.

Lots of red fruits will dominate the palate of a Pinot Meunier, but depending on where the wine was produced and how long it has been aged, the red fruits might veer into a darker, riper category – still red but with a little more bitterness to them. That being said, in many cases, Pinot Meuniers provide very smooth berry flavors, like strawberries or raspberries in cream. Because of the higher acidity in the wine, Pinot Meuniers will be brighter and crisper red wines, sometimes with very tart cherry flavors. Depending on how much time it spent in barrel, you might also pick up the vanilla and smoke flavors detected on the nose. And finally, in some cases, there might also be a spicy hint of a black pepper-like zip to the wine on the aftertaste. Tannins will be low with these wines, but they generally should be crisp, bright, and full of strong red fruit flavors. In a word, delicious.

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• Amazing! Yes, you figured it out! That the Pinot in Pinot Meunier means it is actually related to Pinot Noir. Good job! Give yourself a gold star for that. Actually, Pinot Meunier is considered to be a mutation of the Pinot Noir vine that buds later and ripens earlier than Pinot Noir, making it a heartier and easier to cultivate grape. So that’s one half of it. But what about the Meunier? Well, Meunier is French for “miller” and the grapes and vines got that name because the underside of the vine’s leaves are coated in small, white hairs that make the foliage look like it’s been dusted with flour. Since millers are the folks responsible for grinding grain into flour, the vines became known as Meunier in France. They’re also known as Müllerrebe or Müller-Traube in Germany (it’s also called Schwarzrieling there as well), Dusty Miller in England (wasn’t he the catcher for the Cubs in the late 70’s/early 80’s?) , and Miller’s Burgundy in Australia (not to be confused with defunct West Coast western apparel store Miller’s Outpost). Interestingly, in Australia vine plantings of Pinot Meunier actually pre-date Pinot Noir plantings in the country. Meaning Meunier was there first. Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah.

• As we mentioned above, Pinot Meunier along with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the three grapes legally allowed to be included in Champagne. Which is not to say that Pinot Meunier is included in all Champagnes. In fact, beyond a couple of decades ago, unless you were a winemaker in Champagne, it was impossible to know when or how much Pinot Meunier was being added to wines. What we do know is that Meunier is typically added to Champagnes to give them a fruitier flavor, more acidity and crispness, and more floral and fruit aroma on the nose. Because Pinot Meunier buds later and ripens earlier, it is a far more dependable red grape than the delicate, touchy, and sensitive Pinot Noir grape, and Meunier is often added to Champagnes in years where the Pinot Noir crop doesn’t fully ripen or disappoints. As it turns out, Meunier has a higher acid level than Pinot Noir but can maintain the same high levels of sugar and alcohol, so it is often used to boost and brighten Champagnes with Pinot Noir in them. The caveat is that because Meunier has a much lower tannic make-up than Pinot Noir, Champagnes made with moderate to high levels of Meunier do not age well and are instead intended to be drunk at a young age, when the acids and fruit flavors are still young and vibrant. The exception to this is the house of Krug, whose Champagnes have always contained high percentages of Meunier but are renowned for their ability to age.

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Fun Facts to Impress/Bore People At Parties

From Brein’s Brain to Your Plate

“This is really funny, because we’re tasting a Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier, and when I used to work at Chandon, we’d go through bottle after bottle of Meunier to make our stocks. But we never really drank the stuff, and I don’t remember if they even had it on the wine list at the restaurant. Too bad, because it’s a pretty damn good wine.”

“Anyway, because Pinot Meunier is a lighter red wine, it’s not going to match up with a lot of bigger meat combinations like other reds. It just doesn’t have the tannins to support it. But it does have big bright fruit and a lot of acid, so that makes it a pretty darn good food wine with everything else. One thing I think would go well with a Meunier is quail. Quail wrapped in bacon and roasted, then served with a rich cranberry sauce. Between the sauce and the wine, the cranberries are going to be the dominant flavor, but the acidity in the wine should bring out the subtle gamey flavor of the quail and balance it out nicely.”

“Now because Pinot Meunier is a mutation or something off of Pinot Noir, you can also pair Meuniers with some of the classic French dishes you’d pair a Pinot Noir with, like duck breast. But for my palate, I think a Pinot Meunier would make an awesome wine to pair with barbecue, especially ribs. Because big meaty pork ribs have such a subtle flavor and so much fat to them, the acid and strong cherry and berry flavors are really going to enhance the ribs, especially if they’re slathered in a good tangy barbecue sauce with a good amount of molasses. The acids are really going to complement the sweet, hot, tangy flavor of the sauce but also nicely cut through the fat of the meat on the bone. Pork or beef, spareribs or baby back, it doesn’t matter. They will all go with this wine. Trust me.”

“Speaking of tangy, let’s try something a little out there with this last pairing. How about if you’ve got a Pinot Meunier that’s a little tangier, with more of that tart cherry or cranberry flavor, you pair it with a tart cherry pie? I mean nice and tart cherries with a real simple butter crust that lets the fruit shine through. And just to contrast the crispness of the wine and the cherry flavor somewhat, throw a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the pie, especially if there’s a little vanilla from the oak in the wine. Now that is the way you want to finish a meal right there.”

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Chef Brein Clements is the chef/owner of Restaurant Omakase in Riverside, CA, which is quickly becoming SoCal’s answer to El Bulli. Minus the molecular gastronomy. He began his cooking career at Domaine Chandon in the Napa Valley and moved on to become Chef de Cuisine at the famed Balboa Bay Club before opening his own restaurant. Plus he’s only 28. My man knows his wine and he knows his food. Each week he’ll provide ingredient and dish recommendations that match up well with the week’s forgotten grape. You should heed what he says. No, seriously, heed it.

2006 River Road Russian River Valley Pinot Meunier

As we mentioned above, 100% varietal Pinot Meuniers are incredibly difficult to find. In fact, though we found three that we were planning on recommending, the third wine produced by a small winery in Long Island, New York wasn’t legally allowed to ship us a bottle out here in Calfornia (damn antiquated wine purchasing and shipping laws). So we’ve only got two wines to evaluate for you. But what a pair. This River Road Pinot Meunier is a classic, classic Meunier: super lucid, nice and crisp, with cranberries, brambles, and some wood on the nose, and strawberries and raspberries in cream primarily on the palate, although hints of something darker like bittersweet chocolate did pop up from time to time. It’s a bright, light, crisp and refreshing wine with almost no tannins, a very light aftertaste, and that hint of pepper on the finish. Really just a delightful wine all the way around. We got this bottle at our local Total Wine and More in Rancho Cucamonga. To be honest, we’re not sure if any other Total Wines carry it, let alone any other wine shops around the U.S., but if yours does or you stumble upon it somewhere, definitely pick up a few bottles. Perfect for hot summer nights.

2007 Domaine Chandon Carneros Pinot Meunier

Yes, Brein, we know you used to work at Domaine Chandon. We’re all aware of that now. And really, this is the flagship Pinot Meunier in the U.S. and the one you’re most likely to find at your local store. Slightly darker than other Pinot Meunier wines but still with the tell-tale translucent ruby/magenta coloring, this wine definitely brings the oak and the cranberries on the nose. Incredibly rich with more meat, smoke, and cherry on the nose. It just smells and feels like a bigger wine than the River Road, though that doesn’t make it better (just situationally better). It is definitely a rounder, more elegant wine, though, with less acid and stronger tannins, but still nothing overpowering. It exhibits more characteristics of a Pinot Noir than the River Road Meunier, as well as more oak. The flavors of the wine here also verge on darkness at the edge of town. Springsteen would be proud. Still a delicious wine, and one that’s going to be able to stand up to heavier foods. This is the barbecue wine we were talking about right here, especially with beef ribs (though to be fair, we’re pork purists around these parts). Shockingly, we got the Chandon Pinot Meunier at Total Wine and More in Rancho Cucamonga too. Amazing that one place would carry two

Pinot Meuniers, right? But that’s where you can go to pick it up. Or ask your local wine shop to stock it. It’s Chandon;

I’m sure they can get it.

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Our Friend of the Forgotten Grapes Tasting Squadron tastes all of the wines you see here ahead of time to ensure that you aren’t getting anything rotten or clunky. We also try to ensure that most of the wines highlighted here are affordably priced ($20 or less) so you can try them out for yourself without having to take out a second mortgage or sacrificing your kid (or future kid’s) college fund to do so. Lastly, the Friends of the Forgotten Grapes has relationships with all the fine wine purveyors we link to in this section. We know them, we trust them. You can order these wines from them online right now and be trying them out in the next couple of days. Do yourself a favor and order from them by using the links below. It’s totally worth it. And tell them that ForgottenGrapes.com sent you, too.

As we mentioned above, the lack of color and tannin in the skins and seeds of Pinot Meunier affect the Champagne blends in which it is utilized, and it definitely affects the color of the varietal reds made with the grape. The wines will have a light ruby to magenta color to them and some level of translucence, not so clear that you can see through them entirely, but definitely a palpable lucidity to them. But the brighter, lucid ruby color will remind some of a Beaujolais Nouveau or younger Beaujolais, or even some Pinot Noirs produced in a lighter style.

Go On. Try It. You’ll Like It.

Okay, there’s going to be a few split dichotomies in this particular post, because we’re going to be talking football (just tangentially, but even so) and we’re also going to be talking about Champagne. And as much as women love Champagne (probably just below diamonds, sales, and jeans that fit properly but above expensive name-brand handbags, high school bad boys with sports cars, and “Grey’s Anatomy”), they HATE talking about football (please, save the hate-mail, ladies who do love football; I know you’re out there but right now I’m all about making broad sweeping generalizations about your gender). So if you’re more of the bubbly type and less of the football type, let your eyes glaze over until you reach the “What It Looks Like...” section below. It and all subsequent sections, I can assure you, are 100% football-free.