by Patrick Ogle
Weingut Heitlinger's Baden Pinot Meunier 2015 is a light, easy drinking red that also has complexity and acidity. At first sniff I thought "this smells like pinot noir." The color is even similar. I tasted right after these observations.
It reminded me a little of some lighter examples of Oregon pinot noirs that seem to be less fruit driven and more mineral. This has less minerality perhaps. There was more acidity than in any of those I've sampled. This wine also has some similarities with Burgundy pinot noirs with tannins that seem to float under the radar then seem a bit more robust on the finish. Honestly, if this had been a blind tasting I think I would have thought it was a German pinot noir. It is light with high acidity and might fool some with a more sophisticated palate than mine into thinking "noir" instead of "muenier."
These are just comparisons, coming up with wines that are in the ballpark of this one. The way to spot a meunier as a varietal is to look for acidity above what you might expect from a noir. The lack of fruit here has as much to do with climate as anything else. Germany is a cold climate and the wines are often not fruity as a result. Pinot meunier is also a grape that tolerates cold--even more so than pinot noir or chardonnay.
Pinot meunier is best known as one of the three most commonly used grapes in Champagne. There are four others allowed but the most common are; pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. Some might be surprised that pinot meunier is grown more than chardonnay in Champagne (not by a large amount but still more).
Also called Schwarzriesling in Germany, pinot meunier is not a grape to avoid as a varietal. It is a good match for Thanksgiving and Holiday fare (yes, I know the holidays are over)and this particular version sells for less than $15 a bottle. It drinks like a much more expensive wine.
Weingut Heitlinger's Baden Pinot Meunier 2015 is a light, easy drinking red that also has complexity and acidity. At first sniff I thought "this smells like pinot noir." The color is even similar. I tasted right after these observations.
It reminded me a little of some lighter examples of Oregon pinot noirs that seem to be less fruit driven and more mineral. This has less minerality perhaps. There was more acidity than in any of those I've sampled. This wine also has some similarities with Burgundy pinot noirs with tannins that seem to float under the radar then seem a bit more robust on the finish. Honestly, if this had been a blind tasting I think I would have thought it was a German pinot noir. It is light with high acidity and might fool some with a more sophisticated palate than mine into thinking "noir" instead of "muenier."
These are just comparisons, coming up with wines that are in the ballpark of this one. The way to spot a meunier as a varietal is to look for acidity above what you might expect from a noir. The lack of fruit here has as much to do with climate as anything else. Germany is a cold climate and the wines are often not fruity as a result. Pinot meunier is also a grape that tolerates cold--even more so than pinot noir or chardonnay.
Pinot meunier is best known as one of the three most commonly used grapes in Champagne. There are four others allowed but the most common are; pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. Some might be surprised that pinot meunier is grown more than chardonnay in Champagne (not by a large amount but still more).
Also called Schwarzriesling in Germany, pinot meunier is not a grape to avoid as a varietal. It is a good match for Thanksgiving and Holiday fare (yes, I know the holidays are over)and this particular version sells for less than $15 a bottle. It drinks like a much more expensive wine.
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