Nestled within the coronary heart of the Marne Valley, the Taillet home launched its first bottles to the world in 1961. At present, below the stewardship of Eric Taillet, the fourth era, the home stands firmly dedicated to its philosophy of winery administration rooted in environmental sustainability and concord with nature.

For Eric Taillet, there’s however one precedence: to reap grapes of remarkable high quality for the creation of extraordinary champagne highlighting essentially the most champenois of grapes: Meunier.
He’s so passionate concerning the grape that he based the Institut Meunier.

I sat down with Eric and daughter Léna throughout their current go to to Singapore, to speak all issues Meunier.

I like sophisticated tales, and Meunier has lengthy been seen because the underdog of Champagne. Again within the XVIth century, over 18,000 hectares had been planted with Meunier which was the big majority of the area. At present we’re all the way down to about 14,000.

The Meunier ardour runs within the household, and I caught the bug very early when working with my father and grandfather within the vines. 85% of our 6 hectares is planted in Meunier, and solely one among our cuvées has 10% Chardonnay. So to say we’re captivated with it’s an understatement!
We even have some Pinot Noir vines however we promote that to a different home.

The distinctive factor about our winery is that we have now very previous vines, with the oldest relationship again to 1902. Our terroir of Baslieux-sous-Chatillon has yielded top quality and beneficiant harvests, with even the oldest vines producing over 10 tones per Meunier per hectare.

Meunier has many enticing qualities, together with the truth that budburst is newest of the three, making it much less susceptible to frost harm. It is extremely resistant, and ripens quickest, so typically shall be harvested about eight days earlier than the opposite two grapes. And naturally, it thrives within the clay wealthy soils of the Vallée de la Marne, even on North going through slopes with little solar publicity.

My philosophy in the direction of this grape might be summed up a French nursery rhyme: Meunier tu dors, which means, Meunier fall asleep. It wants minimal intervention each within the vineyards and within the vineyard, and that’s how method it with natural viticulture and by holding the lees static in both chrome steel, barrels and even wine globes. It would at all times be one of the simplest ways to indicate the suppleness and variety of this grape.

I’ve spent numerous time researching the grape, all the best way again to the XIVth century, and I’m additionally fairly enamored by the just about extinct “Meunier Fumé”, which exists on a single plot in Champagne, with wild plantings in Normandy.

Based on a number of the most in depth research, Meunier is a chimera of Pinot Noir from Burgundy.
That is very completely different from Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, which may very well be thought-about topic of Pinot Noir, and due to this fact nonetheless have very comparable genetic materials. A current Austrian examine has traced Meunier to earlier dates that Pinot Noir and thinks that we could also be mistaken, and that Pinot Noir is a product of Meunier.

In any case, Meunier is now fully indifferent from Pinot, and might stand in it is personal proper. The vines look completely different, grapes look and style completely different and the juice is way lighter than Pinot.
I’m a agency believer that Meunier is a darkish skinned white wine grape, and has an extremely essential position in Champagne. It has its personal distinctive identification and when the Comité Champagne.

We even have 3 of the 4 forgotten varieties planted on our land! Within the early 200s we noticed the potential for Arbane and Petit Meslier that are varieties with excessive acid. They had been ripped out of many of the Marne vineyards as a result of they did not ripen. At present it’s a completely different story.

A number of years in the past, I additionally planted a small parcel of those grapes complantée, to recreate a champagne like within the previous occasions, and to create some experimental cuvées. This additionally will increase biodiversity, which is a key pillar of our ethos.

I’ll contunie to share my love for Meunier world wide, and within the winery I’m engaged on growing biodiversity by agroforesty tasks within the vines.

However most significantly I’m working with my two kids to move down the household legacy. Dylan is accountable for the vineyards and vineyard and Léna is the face of our champagnes, bringing them to prospects everywhere in the world.