Pinot Meunier is a black wine grape used predominantly for blending throughout Champagne. It ripens earlier and buds later in the chilly northern French climate than Pinot Noir and retains higher acidity levels at a higher level of phenolic ripeness, which contributes powerful aromatics, delightful fruit characteristics alongside brilliant freshness to blended Champagne. Domaine Egly-Ouriet is one of a small company of Champagne producers that crafts Pinot Meunier as a pure varietal Champagne, and the results are just spectacular. The vines for his Pinot Meunier are grown in the premier cru of Vrigny, which is an extension of the noble Montaigne de Reims. Francis Egly is known for harvesting his grapes at a slightly riper point than the majority of other grower-producers. While many fear they will lose the acidity, he has proven that the slightly riper harvest of low-yielding old vines can create luscious bubbles with intensely concentrated flavors that seemingly linger forever, and this proves an even greater success with his Pinot Meunier thanks to its higher acidity levels.

 

“Here’s a récoltant-manipulant who has progressed in the past 10 years to the point of achieving cult status, besieged by fans around the world and frequently envied by less-hardworking winemakers,” boasted Classement des Meilleurs Vins de France regarding Francis Egly. The fourth-generation Ambonnay winemaker’s dedication and attention to detail in the vineyards and strict regime in the cellar have produced some of the world’s most astounding expressions of Champagne and is consequently one of my all-time favorites. In the vineyards, he utilizes organic fertilizers, opts to plow rather than using herbicides and is a firm believer in the benefits of green harvesting and controlling his yields. In the cellar, this particular champagne stays on its lees for thirty-six months, which is far more time than many other producers in the region dedicate to this pure varietal. This extended lees time lends the aromatic complexity and textural magic that I crave in sensational Champagne. It is in Egly’s quality-over-quantity mentality and each vintage’s labor of love that resonates in the glass and garners Domaine Egly-Ouriet a spot for the world’s best pure varietal Pinot Meunier. If you have never tried one, this is the only place to start.