I’ve always thought of Pinot Meunier as the mediator of the classic Champagne trio - the grape that sits comfortably between Chardonnay’s brightness and Pinot Noir’s depth. But the more time I spend with it, the more I can see it’s more than a supporting act.
It reminds me a bit of Starwars - where Meunier is the Empire Strikes Back. Or Harry Styles: flamboyant, integral to the ensemble, yet more than capable of stepping out solo (other anthropomorphic pop star suggestions welcome).
Over the years we’ve worked with Pinot Meunier in more ways than I first expected. One of our earlier experiments was a white still Pinot Meunier. It played beautifully with floral aromatics and had this surprising stone-fruit mid-palate that made it exceptional with spicy food - it could slice through a little heat while staying delicate.
We’ve also made our multi-vintage sparkling Meunier, layering additions of Meunier juice over several years, taking cues from the great Meunier-led Champagnes. We’ve used it in our Field Blend red and in pinks, where it brings redcurrant and slight cherry notes - fresh and bright without jamminess. Meunier ripens a little earlier here in the UK, which means we can hang it longer and really push for ripeness when we’re aiming for a light, elegant red. That extended ripening window is one of the gifts of our climate - one of the real advantages of working with it in England.
From a grower’s perspective, Pinot Meunier is nice to have around. The vines themselves are pretty - dark green leaves with dusted white undersides that catch the wind and shimmer.
Chardonnay can get reductive and lose its brightness. Pinot Noir puts you through the saga of multiple personality changes through fermentation but Meunier ferments tends to behave themselves (hopefully I’m not tempting fate writing this). It’s lighter than Pinot Noir and fresher; even the most delicate Pinot Noirs eventually take on an earthiness, but Meunier stays bright and expressive.
For years I thought of Pinot Meunier as a blending constituent - a valuable one, but rarely a headline. The more we’ve worked with it, the more layers we’ve found: the way it evolves through fermentation, the details that emerge over time. That’s why we started making the Double Pinot and the Field Blend. And if we had more Meunier, we’d almost certainly be making a single-variety red by now. One day! Until then, we’ll definitely keep making our Double Pinot (a blend of PN and PM) whenever the vintages allow.
Pinot Meunier may sit between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but that doesn’t make it less vital. If anything, that’s where its magic lies - and when you give it a bit of space, it can be astonishing.
- Adrian Pike
