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2022 Pinot Meunier
91 Points- Wine Enthusiast (Hidden Gem)

2022 Pinot Meunier
Wine Specs
Vintage
2022
Varietal
Pinot Meunier
Appellation
Monterey
Vineyard
Riverview
Harvest Date
September 15, 2022
pH
3.9
Aging
100% French Oak, 28% new, 8 months
Bottling Date
August 16, 2023
Alcohol %
14.4
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In Stock
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$36.00
 
SKU: 22SVIPM7EMONR12
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Pinot Meunier is part of the "Pinot Family," including Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris. “Meunier” translates from French as “miller”, as in a person who operates a mill to make flour, so named because the underside of the leaves have fine white hairs that resemble a dusting of flour. Pinot Meunier is one of the three main varieties used in traditional Champagne production and accounts for more than 40% of the acreage within the Champagne AOC. It’s not widely planted in California and, in fact, it’s rather rare to find Pinot Meunier made as a single varietal as it’s most often used to add fruitiness and aromatics to sparkling wine cuvées.

Our 2022 Pinot Meunier is a vibrant wine, from its beautiful ruby color to its bright palate of black cherry, raspberry and currant, with subtle notes of violet and savory spice. Softly structured tannins and fresh acidity lead into a lingering red fruit finish.

Wine Specs
Vintage
2022
Varietal
Pinot Meunier
Appellation
Monterey
Vineyard
Riverview
Harvest Date
September 15, 2022
pH
3.9
Aging
100% French Oak, 28% new, 8 months
Bottling Date
August 16, 2023
Alcohol %
14.4
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Wine Profile
Vineyard
Our Riverview Vineyard is located two miles southeast of Soledad and adjacent to the Pinnacles National Park on a bench overlooking the Salinas River. The bench location aids in creating excellent air flow and the southwestern exposure maximizes available sunlight.  Morning fog and afternoon winds from the Monterey Bay’s marine influence create a true Region I climate, allowing the fruit to ripen slowly and evenly. We farm only one acre of Pinot Meunier at our Riverview Vineyard, a premier vineyard site for this varietal.
Varietal Composition
The 2022 growing season began with excellent growing conditions that continued into summer, with generally moderate temperatures. And then, BAM, a significant heat wave hit California in mid-August. This accelerated the harvest pace, with picking beginning about two weeks earlier than average, and slowed down certain varieties as the vines shut down during the extreme heat to protect themselves. Overall, the heat wave reduced yields, with smaller clusters and reduced berry sizes. Quality, however, is excellent for the 2022 vintage, with a significant level of complexity and intensity.
Winemaking
The grapes were handpicked and 1/3 were left whole cluster for partial carbonic maceration while the balance was destemmed. The whole cluster grapes were put on the bottom of the fermentation bin, with the destemmed berries on top. During the loading of the bin, grapes were frozen with dry ice, a technique called cryomaceration. After freezing, the grapes went through at 1-week cold soak, slowly being brought up to temperature. The grape must was sequentially inoculated with 2 different yeasts, punched down gently 3 times per day, and after fermentation was complete, we let the skins stay in contact with the wine for a 3-week extended maceration. At the conclusion of the extended maceration, the wine was drained, pressed, settled and racked clean to small oak barrels
Cases Produced
120