Champagne connoisseurs and enthusiasts, prepare to have your perceptions transformed. Today, I share with you an enigmatic journey—a tasting that challenged the very foundations of champagne lore. My encounter with a 1955 Blanc de Meunier from the storied cellars of Champagne Demière unveiled a truth long veiled by the mists of tradition.
The narrative has long been scripted: Meunier does not age gracefully. Deemed the underdog amidst its ‘noble’ kin, this grape was historically relegated to a supporting role. But why? A dive into the past reveals Claude Moët’s influential disdain for Meunier, an aversion so strong that it left an indelible mark on the echelle des crus system established in 1911, where Meunier was conspicuously absent from the grand cru and premier cru classifications.
Fast forward to the spring of 2017, amidst the Printemps de Champagne festivities, I found myself at the Meunier Institut tasting within the quaint charm of Champagne Heucq in Cuisles. The revelation was twofold: Not only does the Vallée de la Marne nurture Meunier with its ideal terroir, but the passionate vintners also heralded a profound truth—Meunier can indeed mature into a vintage of extraordinary complexity and vitality.
The moment of truth arrived with a Meunier Masterclass, featuring the crown jewel—a 1955 vintage devoid of label, its identity scribed in white upon the glass. The anticipation grew as the sommelier carefully liberated the cork, revealing not the brittle artifact expected but a stopper defiantly fresh.
The pour was patient, the expectations high. Yet, what graced my glass was not the anticipated vestige of a bygone era, but a vibrant elixir, gleaming with youthful gold. The nose was not overwhelmed by the heaviness of age but was graced by a delicate dance of cocoa, truffle, vanilla, and walnut.
The palate? A revelation. A cascade of warm honey and quince paste, a whisper of bubbles still speaking of life and celebration. It was a sip of history, defying time, challenging perceptions—a reminder that with care and understanding, the supposed Eliza Doolittle of grapes can indeed ascend to nobility, its allure only deepened by the passage of years.
This experience is a testament to the virtues of patience and the unfathomable depths of champagne’s soul.
