BYOBguide.com : Featured Wine

Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier 2000 Carneros Appellation

10-04-2004 Pinot Noir is one of my favorite wines, and I recently bought multiple cases of various Pinot Noir wines to try. One of the more interesting, non Pinot Noir wines I tried is a Pinot Meunier from sparkling wine producer Chandon. Producers of sparkling wine use Pinot Noir among other grapes to make sparkling wine. Pinot Meunier, which is French for miller, the powdery underside of the leaves that can look coated with flour is a cousin of the Pinot Noir grape. Growers of Pinot Meunier are few and far between outside of the Champagne region of France. When I saw the wine, on sale as a manager's special, I thought I would give it a try. My first impressions were both familiar and different. While somewhat similar to the flavor of a Pinot Noir, it was also slightly different with its unique intensity of flavor. The wine was a 2000and flexibility of this wine with food. The wine has a brilliant cherry red color with plum hues. The wine tasted soft, with berry and light spice flavors. It was a 2000, grown in Caneros, which is particularly well suited to growing Pinot Noir grapes. Apparently this is the maiden vintage for Domaine Chandon's Pinot Meunier and hopefully not the last. At $24.99 and 10% off (manager's special) I thought it was a little expensive but after a glass I thought it was worth the indulgence, especially for a not too common wine variety. I know I try to stay with reviewing more modestly priced wines and I am sorry, but I get sick of the merlots and other mass produced wines. Trying something different and most likely hard to produce, will give Pinot Muenier wine style few competitors and an incentive to wine makers to make something exceptional. If you see the wine, splurge and give it a try. Winery website: www.chandon.com Past featured wines
NAME	DATE
Stags Leap Napa valley 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon	02 - 24 - 2007
Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier 2000 Carneros Appellation	10 - 04 - 2004
Martin Ray 2003 Angeline Chardonnay – Russian River Valleyrtin Ray	09 - 09 - 2004
Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2001	01 - 17 - 2004
A sparkling wine for the holidays.	11 - 28 - 2003
Seghesio Sangiovese	11 - 14 - 2003
KWV 2001 Pinotage	10 - 16 - 2003

BYOBguide Home | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer

Restaurant Take Out Tips and Tricks
Have you ever ordered take out from a BYOB restaurant you like only to have the restaurant screw up your order? Based on an informal polling of BYOBguide.com users, apparently the answer is ...
read more