Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2019, France

Château La Nerthe produces eminent red and white wines from the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation. The vineyard, cultivated using organic methods for 20 years, has a variety of terroirs (including 30 hectares on the plateau of La Crau) planted mainly to Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre to endow the wines of Château La Nerthe with tannins of great finesse and great length. All 13 grape varieties are found in the different vineyard plots – in the soils the best adapted to bringing out their purest expression. Blending: Grenache noir (37 %), Syrah (29 %), Mourvèdre (27 %), Cinsault (7%). Ageing: The grapes are hand picked and sorted on table. They are then put into vat for 18 to 21 days with regular pumping overs and punching downs, tasting the must every day during fermentation to ensure the best extraction of the berry compounds. At the end, the wines are racked into oak vats for the malolactic fermentation. When this second fermentation is complete, the cuvée will be racked in big casks and barrels for 12 months of ageing before blending. Bottling takes place 6 months later. Tasting: The dark, deep, inky color of the wine shows immediately the concentration of the vintage. Nose of blackcurrants, black tea, dried flowers are definitely standing out. The mouth is rich, fruity, velvety, with an incredibly layered tannin structure. The wine is balanced, pure, really intense and long, an incredible ageing potential.