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Wine Details
Price:
$15.00 per bottle
Description:
This blend of the classic Champagne grapes Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier is made in the traditional Méthode Champenoise. This cuvée has the essence of yeast and citrus flavors with a smooth and delicate finish.
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Varietal Definition
Chardonnay:
Chardonnay is by far the most widely planted grape crop in California and dominates California’s cooler, coastal, quality wine regions. The natural varietal ‘taste and smell’ of Chardonnay is surprisingly unfamiliar to many wine drinkers, as its true character is often guised with dominating winemaking signatures. Chardonnay’s rather subdued primary fruit characteristics lean toward the crisp fruitiness of apples, pears and lemon, but the variety’s full body is capable of supporting a host of complementary characteristics, such as oak, butter and vanilla. Regardless of what is the appropriate style for Chardonnay, the varietal continues to dominate vineyard plantings in every corner of the world. Close attention to clonal selection has made this broad geographic and climactic range of Chardonnay viable in thoughtful viticultural hands.
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Pinot Meunier:
Pinot Meunier’s heritage is traced to northern France, where it is particularly important in France’s Champagne region. Here, it is the most planted variety, with acreage roughly equivalent to the acreages of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir combined. It offers youthful fruit character and tart acidity to the traditional blend. However, wines which are predominantly Pinot Meunier tend to be less age worthy. Pinot Meunier is well suited to cool climates, as it buds later than Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This makes it less susceptible than its more noble partners to frost. It also ripens earlier than Pinot Noir. In North America, Pinot Meunier can be found in New York State’s Finger Lakes region, where it is known as Black Riesling. More notably however, California growers in regions such as Caneros and the Anderson Valley, wishing to produce authentic champagne-style wines, introduced Meunier to the vineyards in the 1980s. Today, most all of the state’s 300 acres of PM reside in the Carneros area. Some work is being
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