REBEL GRAPE SOCIETY
SEPTEMBER 2021
THE OTHER, OTHER PINOT: PINOT MEUNIER
In the notorious world of Champagne there are the obvious two powerhouses: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And then there is the backup singer: Pinot Meunier. It does much more of the heavy lifting than it is recognized for, but it is also quite accommodating. Meunier is more easily grown in climates that are too cold for the other two infamous grapes, and actually takes up a whopping 40% of the plantings in the Champagne region.
While it shares similar notes to its Pinot Noir sibling, Meunier has a milder earthiness with a bit higher acidity, and definitely brings the fruit to the party. The star of its own show, it can certainly dazzle as a single varietal wine. Only in recent years has it become en vogue to drink 100% Meunier Champagne. In this month’s Club we are delighted to enjoy Meunier as a still red wine, and to see just what our warmer Cali climates can do for this now-famous varietal.
– Kevin Wardell, September, 2021
J.BRIX ‘PM DAYLIGHT’
El Dorado County, California 2019
Husband and wife team Jody Brix Towe and Emily Towe’s school of thought in life and with wine is “only love”. They fell in love with a Pinot Noir from Bien Nacido Vineyard which inspired them to make wine. How appropriate, considering Jody’s middle name Brix- a descriptor by which a wine’s level of alcohol is measured through its sugar content. After a little bit of dirty work and a couplea harvests, it simply wasn’t enough. With a passionate dedication to learning the craft, and after much blood, sweat and tears, they produced their very own first vintage in a garage.
Fast forward to 2021 and you’ll see that the Towe’s work is now spread between sixteen vineyards, through Central Coast, San Diego County, and the Sierra Foothills in California. The 2020 P.M. Daylight Pinot Meunier is their first ever vintage of this grape. Taking a very natural and unfettered approach without filtering, they use neutral vessels and native-yeast fermentation with minimal addition of sulfur dioxide only when necessary.
This is a rare, juicy and light expression of Pinot Meunier. As named, it is just right, day or night. Sink into the aromatic blue fruit and bit of rose bouquet with a depth of crunchy earthiness. Bitter herbs, similar to good Beaujolais, as well as a similarly delightful and familiar fruit profile. With a whiff of black pepper and buoyancy of boysenberry, this wine is filled with character that will make you say Hooray Hooray for Meunier.
KEEP WINES
Yount Mill Vineyard, Napa, California 2019
This is the Something Special Dream Team of winemakers Jack Roberts, formerly of Matthiasson, and Johanna Jensen of Scholium Project and Broc Cellars. Their approach is an old-world style of winemaking, with the least amount of manipulation and plenty of age-worthiness in the bottle.
Clearly, the respect for history resides in many aspects with Keep – from its name, harking back to the moat and keep that remains of the 11th Century Beaverton Castle in Gloucestershire, England where Roberts’ father was born, to the castle’s crest on the bottle. In Middle English it was the kype, or barrel, in which the most treasured possessions, especially the wine, was safely stored.
The Yount Mill vineyard in which Keep’s Pinot Meunier grapes are grown is on a historic, majestic, five-generation vineyard that is certified organic, with undervine cultivation and no use of systemic pesticides.
A well orchestrated dance – a bit of leather and lace, surrounded by violets, a hint of herbal spice, and some light, bright cherry and cranberry cheer. There is a fresh made jam-like ripeness that provides the backbone, lingering beyond what is first expected. The overall structure is a delicate one, nuanced, and finishes with a dry adieu. This is an early Autumn porch red for those cool, star filled nights when you’re Keeping it chill.
POE
Van der Kamp Vineyard
Sonoma Mountain, California 2018
Although Burgundy and Champagne inspired winemaker Samantha Sheehan, her intention was not to re-create them exactly, but rather express them through the lens of California terroir. She doesn’t mess with nature, infusing sulfur only when necessary, and no addition of additives. The Van der Kamp vineyard on which the Pinot Meunier varietal is grown was planted in the 1950’s and sits on the tip top of Sonoma Mountain overseeing the charming town of Glen Ellen to the east, and Bennett Valley to the northwest.
Grapes are handpicked by the Van der Kamp family, experience fermentation with native yeasts, and are pressed old-school style by foot. The resulting wine is aged on the lees for 12 months in 10% new French oak with 90% neutral French oak. Bottling is unfined and unfiltered.
This is all brambleberry fields forever with a little black currant and thyme mixed in. A smidge of vanilla, some plum fruit and a layer of black cherry perfectly balance the underlying soil and mushroom elements. Light on tannins and rustic around the edges, it still has fancy feet and plays back and forth between the earthiness and lightly spiced dark fruit. For the enormous amount of Pinot fans out there, here is a fabulous… umm, well… Pinot.