Long overshadowed by its more famous siblings, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier is finally stepping into the spotlight, celebrated for its distinct qualities and remarkable adaptability to Champagne’s unique terroir. At the forefront of this revival is Champagne Demière, a family-run estate since 1936, fiercely dedicated to unlocking the potential of this once-underrated grape. Modern winemakers like Demière are embracing Meunier’s vibrant fruitiness and resilience, challenging traditional norms and igniting a spirited debate about innovation versus heritage in Champagne. As this versatile grape redefines what champagne can be, Champagne Demière makes it clear that Pinot Meunier is no longer just a supporting player but a star in its own right.
Menu
What is Pinot Meunier?
About Champagne Demière
Visiting the Vineyards
In the Cellars
Overall Thoughts
What is Pinot Meunier?
Pinot Meunier, known more casually as just Meunier, is one of the three main grape varieties of Champagne. It is a controversial variety due to its historical perception. Traditionally, Meunier was considered the lesser cousin of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Thought to lack the ageing potential of Pinot Noir and the elegance of Chardonnay, many top producers prioritized the other two varieties for their prestige cuvées. Meunier became the “workhorse” grape, if you will, making blends more approachable, but rarely holding the spotlight. But certain winemakers don’t agree with this notion and are showing the world what is possible with this variety.
Where Does it Come From?
Meunier is a genetic mutation of Pinot Noir, Burgundy’s ancient grape variety that’s been around for over 1000 years. Pinot Noir is not at all genetically stable, meaning that it easily mutates into other grape varieties, often as a reaction to changes in its environment. Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris/Grigio are some of its more famous albino mutations. While they all have characteristics, these varieties all share similar DNA and a distinctive “Pinot” appearance. That is to say, tight, pine cone-like clusters. Indeed, this group of grape varieties gets its name from the French word for pine, which is pin. (FYI, many English sources incorrectly state that Pinot is the French word for pine cone. The actual French term is pomme de pin… NOT Pinot!)
Pinot Meunier’s mutation produces distinctive leaves which appear dusted with white, a trait resulting from fine hairs on the underside of the leaves. Looking as if sprinkled with flour, it’s only appropriate that the name Meunier means “miller” in French.
The mutation also affects the grape’s ripening timeline and resilience. Meunier buds later and ripens earlier than Pinot Noir. This protects it from spring frosts and allows it to thrive in cooler areas. This adaptability has made it particularly valuable in the Champagne region, especially in the low-lying, frost-prone Vallée de la Marne.
Where is it Going?
More and more contemporary winemakers are embracing Meunier’s unique qualities. Besides its ability to thrive in challenging climates, this variety has a vibrant fruit character, alive with freshness, which brings distinctive expressions to wines. When handled with care, it can produce sparkling and still wines of remarkable complexity and character, challenging long-standing biases.
In fact, this shift is sparking debates about tradition versus innovation in Champagne. It can be argued that Pinot Meunier is itself truly emblematic Champagne. It is perfectly suited to the local terroir and it is rarely planted elsewhere in the world.
About Champagne Demière
Meunier’s riveting history sets the scene for Champagne Demière. This winemaker’s story begins in 1936, when Fernand Demière purchased his first vines in Fleury-la-Rivière. This charming village in the Vallée de la Marne is the perfect terroir for Meunier grapes, which thrive in the region’s sandy-limestone soils. These soils, combined with the valley’s microclimate, give the local wines a distinctive character. The Demière family recognized the potential early on, and their vineyards have always been at the heart of their winemaking process.
After WWII, Fernand worked the vineyards with his son, Jack. By the mid 1950s, the estate had around 80ha of vines and it was Jack’s ambition to keep expanding around the village. He created a winemaking service company (bottling, disgorging, filtration), which allowed him to expand his vineyards thanks to the profits. In 1966, he acquired a pressing facility including two traditional Champagne presses.
The third generation, Audrey and Jérôme, took the reins of the family winery at the dawn of the new millennium, launching A & J DEMIERE. They acquired a new cellar (next door) seven years later before building a new winery at the entrance of the village in 2015. It has a very comfortable tasting room with a spectacular view of the vineyards.
Today, Demière continues to be a family-run, independent grower Champagne estate. And they are certified Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE), thanks to their sustainable commitment to the environment.
Visiting the Vineyards
Earlier, I mentioned the importance of the vineyards to Champagne Demière. They are located around the village of Fleury-la-Rivière, in the south/southeast-facing Brunet Valley, which is part of the “Vallée de la Marne, Rive droite” wine region.
Over 40 million years ago, this region was under a tropical sea. The fossils of over 300 species of that ancient era make up the sandy-limestone that can be found here today. This village is particularly famous for its impressive Tuffeau de Damery, a layer of Campaniles giganteum fossils exposed nearly at the surface (and in the cellars underground!). These giant snail shells are around a foot (30 cm) long! This unique terroir imparts an atypical source of iodine and salinity to future wines.
Clos de Beauregard
My first stop was at the Clos de Beauregard parcel. These vines are all that remains of a walled vineyard from an ancient Chateau that no longer exists. Aptly named, they overlook the valley and the current village. Even though the slope is south-facing, the sun falls behind the facing hills prematurely, leading to slow-ripening grapes.
Taking in the views, I had the opportunity to sip on a Côteaux Champenois made exclusively from this parcel sur place. A rare still white wine made from black Meunier grapes, it is only made in exceptional years; 2022 being one of them. Not commercially available, it is a special wine for the family. Ever so slightly salmon in colour, aromas of brioche, stone fruit, sour cherry, and the sea wafted to my nose. It was deliciously saline in mouth. A very special experience.
La Garenne
Moving via Land Rover to a parcel with a more precariously perched viewpoint, I was able to compare terroirs with another glass of Côteaux Champenois. The same vintage, the same grape variety, the same vinification. But a completely different wine. This one was slightly sweeter on the nose with notes of dark cherry and almond. Unexpected for a white wine!
Old Vines
The vineyard visit ended poetically, by a tiny plot just outside the village. Historically, the vines closest to villages are the healthiest and make the best wines. The vines here are special and obviously very old: planted in 1926, they pre-date the estate! There are very few vines this old in Champagne, so this vineyard is a treasure.
The disastrous phylloxera outbreak of the early 1900s began its Champenois infestation in this village its neighbour (Damery) before branching out to the rest of the region. So, these are some of the first vines planted following the crisis.
These vines aren’t just important because they are old and historical. They play a crucial role in vineyard sustainability thanks to the process of sélection massale. This ancient French process is the practice of planting vineyards with cuttings from exceptionally old vines (like these ones) from the same or neighbouring plots. It involves the careful selection and propagation of vines from healthy, high-quality, and genetically distinct parent plants. Unlike clonal selection, this creates vineyard diversity, which, in turn, creates healthier and more resistant vineyards.
The tasting here bubbled into champagne, with the cuvée Egreg’Or, made exclusively from old vine grapes. A delightfully creamy bubbly with buttery aromas of croissant, stone fruits, pears, and almonds. The mouth has the pleasing hint of salinity that is the signature of this terroir. It’s perfectly gourmand; the style of champagne I’m particularly fond of.
In the Cellars
One of my favourite parts of visiting a winery is seeing its cellars. Earlier, I mentioned how Jack Demière expanded his family’s holdings. This included purchasing the neighbouring homes to expand his cellars, which were already connected. Some of the antique equipment from his winemaking service company are on display, including a corking machine and its intriguing square-shaped corks!
Bottles fill every nook and cranny, of course. I spotted impressive Mathusalems, which contain the equivalent of a whopping 8 standard bottles of champagne! Not a lot of producers make this format (or at least have them handy!).
I had the opportunity to try a 2023 vin clair from a large cement egg. Different from Demière’s usual identity, this is Pinot Noir. It’s cloudy and reminds me of Breton apple cider with a touch of lemon. These eggs are typically to produce their rosé de saignée, a deeply coloured and aromatic rosé champagne created through long maceration of dark grapes.
The Solera
Something very interesting about Champagne Demière is their solera system. It’s becoming more popular for champagne producers to have “solera” wines in their range, but the truth is that many of them are just variations on a perpetual reserve, rather than a real solera.
The perpetual reserve and solera systems in Champagne are techniques for to maintaining consistency and complexity in blends. But they have key differences. A perpetual reserve (most common) involves maintaining a large tank or vat of wine from previous vintages, which is continuously topped up with newer wine each year. This method allows winemakers to draw from a blend that reflects the vineyard’s history and evolving style.
On the other hand, the solera system, traditionally used in Sherry production, arranges wine in a series of barrels stacked in layers, with the oldest wine at the bottom. Each year, a portion of the wine is drawn from the bottom layer and replaced with younger wine from the layers above. So, in a sense, a perpetual reserve is like a simplified solera. While both methods blend multiple vintages, the solera system emphasizes a more structured and layered aging process, resulting in a complex, oxidative style, whereas the perpetual reserve maintains a fresher profile with a focus on consistency over time.
Champagne Demière is a perpetual reserve pioneer, having started its first reserve in 1978. Still in use today, it makes the 100% Meunier cuvée, Solera 23. But, since this reserve is only drawn on during exceptional harvest years, it’s cheekily referred to as a “réserve non perpétuelle“. In 2015, Demière took the concept further by establishing a truly perpetual reserve and then introduced a three-tier oak barrel solera in 2018 to deepen the complexity of their wines. Still unnamed, we need to wait another few years before the release of this new and exciting cuvée. I’m personally looking forward to trying this!
Overall Thoughts
As Meunier continues to gain recognition , its role in Champagne is being redefined by forward-thinking winemakers like Champagne Demière. For almost a century, this family-run estate has made a name for itself by embracing Meunier’s vibrant character and adaptability, pushing boundaries, and crafting wines that celebrate this often-overlooked grape. Their perpetual reserve systems, new solera system, and single-varietal cuvées not only showcase the grape’s full potential, but also adds a distinct voice to the evolving narrative of the this traditional wine region. Pioneers like Demière prove that Champagne’s future is just as exciting as its storied past. I am a fan of their work and highly recommend their champagnes!
A big thank you to Emilie, Lysandre, and Jérôme for this amazing and insightful experience.