1998 Chateau Nenin Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
ABOUT THIS WINE
Although unclassified, Chateau Nenin is considered to be among the great growths of Pomerol.
A blend of 85% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc.
The 1998 was the first vintage for the Dillon family, who purchased this estate in 1997.
According to the Delon family, Château Nénin is the epitome of a great Pomerol "vin de garde" (wine for laying down). It combines power and elegance, complexity and balance, purity and refi nement. The gradual increase of Cabernet Franc within the vineyards gives the wine tautness, distinction and freshness. To really appreciate the Grand Vin's ageing ability, you may need to be patient. Like all great Pomerol vins de garde, Château Nénin blossoms over time.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
On the eve of the 1997 harvest, Jean-Hubert Delon purchased Château Nénin, which had belonged to his cousins, the Despujol family, since 1847. A major restructuring was immediately undertaken.
The pruning and trellising methods were reviewed, the land was drained, the vines were replanted or uprooted, and the equipment modernized. The ageing and storage cellars were extended and completely re-fitted, and air conditioning was added. A new vat room, furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, was built thereby completing the total transformation of the property.
The Château Nénin vineyard extends in one piece with the exception of a single plot. The vines dedicated to the great wine of Château Nénin are planted on the largest clay-gravelly terroirs of the Pomerol plateau, on approximately a third of the total vineyard. In the context of the Pomerol appellation, where it is rare for an estate to exceed 10 hectares, Château Nénin represents a major surface area: up to 32 hectares of vines in production. Consequently its terroir includes all the diversity of soils which characterize Pomerol. It is mainly made up of Oligocene deposits covered with alluvial gravel formations from the Dordogne; siliceous clays and gravels, quartz, granites, iron dross as well as basalt pebbles.