A touch of pink….

Pink champagne….you either love it or you hate it. Some find it far too sweet and artificial, others find it too fizzy (which, by the way, is often caused by the higher tannin content in pink champagnes than in white, attracting more CO2). Then you get the exceptions that are really dry and lack flavour and the only interesting thing about the wine is the colour.

Well, it may be some relief to know, that even with my job and as a huge fan of all things vinous, I tend to share many of these opinions and I make no secret of the fact that our search of decent rosé champagnes has been a tricky one.

These days, every champagne house worth their salt seems to have a rosé amongst their collection – their clients demand it. There is no prettier drink to serve on a warm summers day, especially if celebrating a momentous occasion, than a glass of pink champagne. But in my humble opinion, if the taste isn’t there, you may as well serve a glass of fizzy water with some pink grapefruit cordial (which is quite nice by the way).

So when deciding which champagnes to include in our quarterly cases, we don’t take the decision to include a pink lightly. We know it is always going to be a controversial move, with some of our clients avidly claiming their dislike for the style, whilst others will embrace it provided it has sufficient flavour and is memorable, for the right reasons.

On our Pinot Meunier adventures we found that generally, the rosés produced using the “saignée” method (gradually extracting the juice from the grape skins before mixing back together to give a deeper colour and often, flavour) exhibited a much more intense, fruity flavour, possibly because the flavours of the grape had more chance to mature and develop.

The blended versions, made with still red wine taken from Pinot Meunier grapes were fruity and floral, but quite light and subtle (in flavour and colour) in comparison. In both cases, the champagnes were drier than rosés usually are. Just like the Meunier whites we tasted, there was much diversity not just from house to house, but also within the same vineyard.

Some growers used oak to add additional depth and character to their pink champagnes, giving a hint of smokiness – one example being Alain Bailly from Serzy et Prins. His exclusive rosé had strong flavours of black cherry and finished with a surprising minerally kick – something of a trend we noticed with Meunier pinks. It took us a little by surprise. The rosé champagnes from the Vallée de la Marne, high in Meunier content, exhibited more savoury flavours than we have been used to with Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.

There were elements of fruit coming through, but this was matched with a distinctive minerality we have never seen before with pink champagnes.  Nowhere was this more evident than at the quaint little vineyard of Joel Gobancé in Savigny-sur-Ardres in the Vallée de l’Ardres. With parcels of vines spread over 5 communes, including the Vallée de la Marne and Chateau Thierry, this might explain why their champagnes bring such unique flavours to the table. The Brut Rosé is made from 90% Pinot Meunier, 5% Pinot Noir and 5% Chardonnay.

Cédric Gobancé is one of three brothers to manage the house today and chief wine maker – the others have pursued alternative careers, but still maintain an interest in the vineyard since taking over from their father in the early 90s. Gaston Gobancé began cultivating vines in the 1960s, though purely for the provision of merchant houses. In 1990, the family invested in a press and cellar and began producing their own champagnes. For a relatively young house, they are pushing out some interesting cuvées and even though they are at the beginning of their journey, there is much ambition to turn the brand into something quite special.

Cédric uses the “assemblage” method to make his pink, blending a little Pinot Meunier still wine with the white to give a very elegant peach colour to the champagne, dressed in a beautiful clear glass bottle. He also ages it for 4 years prior to disgorging to give the flavours and aromas a chance to fulfil their true potential.

The champagne has a nice soft fragrance and florality, as is usual with a Meunier-based champagne with an underlying musty depth. On the palate, it is quite complex, with a surprising minerality, almost flint-like finish after an initial hint of red fruits. It has a decent length considering it’s dryness too. When we presented this rosé to our Club Members, one justifiably noted hints of strawberries….soaked in vinegar. Perhaps that sounds unpleasant, but many thought it was intriguing, which kept them coming back for more.

With such savoury elements to a champagne variety that one would usually pair with fruit desserts or chocolate cake, this makes for an interesting selection of possible pairings. We think it would go very well with seafood or shell fish, or even a musty, earthy cheese like a Délice de Bourgogne or Chabichou.

It is refreshing to find pink champagnes with a bit of difference. Of course, this one did still divide the crowd, but those who usually dismiss a rosé fairly early on actually found themselves rather enjoying Gobancé’s masterpiece, which reinforces to us the importance of trying a wide variety of champagne styles as they often take you by surprise.

It is important to remember also that in some years, producers forego the production of their rosé champagnes altogether as they are not satisfied with the quality of the grapes. Given the sensitive nature of Pinot Meunier, this is even more prevalent with our most recent producers and so we should appreciate the specialist cuvées as they are not always easy to come by.

You can find out more about this one here.

We hope you have found our Meunier adventures interesting. Stay tuned for summer, coming soon, where there will be more tales from the world of grower champagne.

Best wishes,

Karen

Chief Bubble Taster @ The Real Champagne Company

PS. Did you know….The Pinot Meunier vines are always pruned and tied first as they are able to replenish their crop if damaged by frost? They are shortly followed by Pinot Noir, which has more robust grape skins, finishing with Chardonnay, one of the most sensitive of all grape varieties.

Making your mind up….

This season took us on a quest to uncover Champagne’s ‘other’ pinot; the grape which lives perennially in the shadow of Pinot Noir, more fleeting and perplexing, more difficult to pin down: the enigmatic Pinot Meunier.

On any search for champagnes with a basis of Pinot Meunier, you have to venture into the spiritual heartland of the grape: the Vallée de la Marne. Here you will find the true Meunier specialists, those for whom the grape is a raison d’être rather than the poor relation the grand houses sometimes regard it to be; those who might be brave enough to put their family name on a bottle containing only Meunier.

This wide valley, which curves its way gently west from Epernay to the edge of the Marne and beyond, has an aspect which encourages the cool, often damp climate in which this grape can thrive. Its soil is silty from the erosion ground out by the river which lies at its heart and also contains more clay than its neighbours, the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. These conditions combine to favour a grape which is slow to bud and quick to ripen, as rich in sugar and acidity as Pinot Noir and yet softer, more aromatic, sensuous and complex.

And so it was that we found ourselves drawn, over a few days on a mist-draped February road trip, to the fringes of the Marne in search of the promulgators of Pinot Meunier. We went with a certain expectation in mind: to find champagnes with perfumed noses and flavours of musty dark fruits with a strong florality pervading the palate, but perhaps with less depth and body than their Pinot Noir-based cousins.

As it was we discovered a wide gamut of Meunier styles; some soft, apricotty and slightly bitter flavours, a fruity kick of vivacity elsewhere and floral minerality from another part of the region. How does one choose? In the end, the ultimate decider had to be quality, whilst giving a good representation of the overriding characteristics of the Meunier grape. All of the champagnes we have selected for our spring collection have the lovely fragrance, soft musty bitterness and subtle fruit we have come to expect from a good Pinot Meunier, combined with the balance, maturity, complexity and elegance needed to be accepted as Real Champagne Club champagnes.

With most grande marques and commentators still discounting Pinot Meunier as a protagonist in its own right, we hope we have managed to find three champagnes to carry a torch for this under-appreciated and often misunderstood grape. Perhaps the misgivings about Meunier come from long-held assumptions: we had heard for instance that Pinot Meunier doesn’t age well, but we found much greater balance, maturity and flavour from aged Meuniers on our travels. Equally it became clear that without careful treatment it’s hard to attain the maturity and power of Pinot Noir or the finesse of Chardonnay with this grape. But perhaps the greater appreciation of Meunier lies in the hands of those who are willing to push the boundaries a little, just like the three wonderful new producers with have found for spring.

So if you would like to taste the fine examples we have selected for Spring, you can join us on Friday 6th March in London’s Covent Garden and make your own mind up about this elusive grape.

We hope to see you there.

PS. We have frozen our early bird ticket price too, so they are just £40 instead of £45!