Estate Pinot Meunier
<br>We are all familiar with Pinot Meunier as one of Champagne's three grape varieties, and as such it is usually found in a form that is white and sparkling. It's a bit of a treat therefore to find it in a pure and unadulterate form here, allowed to be a red wine in its own right. In Champagne Pinot Meunier sometimes fulfils the role of an insurance policy since it ripens earlier than Pinot Noir. As such it is not surprising to find that this wine is a little bigger and richer than WillaKenzie's Estate Pinot Noir. WillaKenzie Estate has four acres of Pinot Meunier, all planted in 1992 on Willakenzie soil, known for its excellent drainage. The plants are grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock and trained into an upright, double guyot trellising system.<br> In WillaKeznie's state of the art, gravity-flow winery a fully extracted and complex 2006 Pinot Meunier has been achieved. During this process, no whole clusters were used and the grapes were 100% destemmed. A cool maceration preceded the fermentation for a total of 19 days of skin contact with daily punch downs by ‘Bigfoot,’ a mechanical punchdown device. After pressing, the wine settled for a few days in tank and was then moved by gravity directly nto barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation during the next 8 months. The wine spent a total of 10 months in French oak barrels (30% new) from a selection of coopers.
We are all familiar with Pinot Meunier as one of Champagne's three grape varieties, and as such it is usually found in a form that is white and sparkling. It's a bit of a treat therefore to find it in a pure and unadulterate form here, allowed to be a red wine in its own right. In Champagne Pinot Meunier sometimes fulfils the role of an insurance policy since it ripens earlier than Pinot Noir. As such it is not surprising to find that this wine is a little bigger and richer than WillaKenzie's Estate Pinot Noir. WillaKenzie Estate has four acres of Pinot Meunier, all planted in 1992 on Willakenzie soil, known for its excellent drainage. The plants are grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock and trained into an upright, double guyot trellising system.
In WillaKeznie's state of the art, gravity-flow winery a fully extracted and complex 2006 Pinot Meunier has been achieved. During this process, no whole clusters were used and the grapes were 100% destemmed. A cool maceration preceded the fermentation for a total of 19 days of skin contact with daily punch downs by ‘Bigfoot,’ a mechanical punchdown device. After pressing, the wine settled for a few days in tank and was then moved by gravity directly nto barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation during the next 8 months. The wine spent a total of 10 months in French oak barrels (30% new) from a selection of coopers.

Notes
The aromas are subtle and complex with initial red fruit tones complemented by cola, anise and caramel. A medley of fresh red fruit flavours, including raspberry, strawberry, and cranberry create a lifted palate impression framed by smooth, well resolved tannins. This elegant, medium-bodied wine will pair well with lighter fare like poached salmon, soufflés, charcuterie, and even some desserts such as a rhubarb tart. The wine will improve in the cellar for the next 1 to 2 years and age well for up to 5 years from its release date.


Buying Information
Bottle Size: Vintage: Type: Case Size: Bottle Price: Buy Bottle Buy Case
75cl 2008 Red 12 £25.50 BUY BUY




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