Graham Beck Artisan Collection Pinot Meunier 2022
£49.95 incl. VAT
1 in stock
Pale straw-gold with a fine, persistent mousse. Lifted nose of red apple, brioche and toasted almond with a savoury, slightly herbal lift, lemon curd, white blossom and a subtle reductive, flinty edge from the under-cork fermentation. Layered and textured on the palate with creamy lees-driven richness, vivid acidity, fine bubbles and a long, savoury, mineral finish. Drink now to 2030.
2022 Vintage — Méthode Cap Classique, Western Cape, South Africa
From Graham Beck’s experimental ‘Artisan Collection’ comes South Africa’s first 100% Pinot Meunier Cap Classique — a tiny, limited-edition release of just 2,200 bottles. The fruit is drawn 70% from limestone soils in Robertson and 30% from weathered shale soils in cool-climate Elgin, expressing two contrasting facets of the variety from across the Western Cape.
100% Pinot Meunier. The base wine is built from four distinct vinification vessels — neutral French oak barrels, terracotta amphorae, ceramic eggs and stainless steel — fermented in equal quarters before blending. Secondary fermentation under cork (rather than the usual crown cap) gives the wine a distinctive lees character, followed by two years on lees before disgorgement. The result is a serious, structured Cap Classique with the sappy, savoury, slightly herbal personality that Pinot Meunier brings to Champagne blends, here taken solo. Awarded 95 points by Tim Atkin MW in his 2024 South Africa Special Report.
