2008 August Briggs Napa Valley Pinot Meunier

A close relative of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier is traditionally grown in the Champagne region of France to lend added body and complexity to sparkling wine cuvees. We have found that when Pinot Meunier is allowed to fully ripen, it creates an elegant, aromatic wine with pretty of fruit flavors, along with much of the silky complexity of its burgundian brother.

With the 2008 Napa Valley Pinot Meunier, a complex array of aromas and flavors come forward. There are raspberry & cherry, violets & orange peel, as well as, aromas of fresh cut plum. This wine is fruity, elegant, and spicy, with a hint of mocha & vanilla. It is moderately full bodied for a Pinot Meunier and will improve with age. It would pair nicely with roasted fowl, seasoned pork, or mild to moderately flavored cheeses.

The fruit for this wine was picked at 25.0° brix. After hand sorting, the clusters were destemmed into a small open-top fermenter. After a two day cold soak, the must was inoculated with Assmanhausen yeast, which we prefer for our pinots. The cap was punched-down by hand, twice daily. Following primary fermentation the wine was inoculated for malo-lactic fermentation and barreled down to traditional burgundian barrels. The barrels used were 30% new oak from the Allier forest in France, and 70% two and three year old French barrels. The wine was aged in barrel for 9 months, and then bottled without fining or filtration.