Pinot Meunier
Also known as Meunier, Schwarzriesling, Müllerrebe
Champagne, France
A mutation of Pinot Noir, the third grape of Champagne, giving fruity, soft, early-drinking wines to blends.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Cool climate
Ripening
Mid season
Wine styles
Sparkling, Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
France
Champagne (Vallée de la Marne)
Adds fruit and early roundness to blends, and is the core of the Vallée de la Marne.
Germany
Württemberg (Schwarzriesling)
Made into light, fruity still reds and sparkling wines.
Background
Origin & History
Meunier means miller, a reference to the fine white dust on the underside of its leaves. It is a mutation of Pinot Noir, and so a variant of it rather than a separate cross, but it behaves differently: it buds late, so it escapes spring frost, and it ripens reliably in the cold, damp Vallée de la Marne.
In Champagne it makes up about a third of plantings and adds soft, fruity roundness to blends with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In Württemberg, where it is called Schwarzriesling, it is grown for still red wines.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Pinot Meunier is an old variety of unknown origin.
No crossings involving Pinot Meunier are documented in the collection yet.