2018 Château Nénin

Description

97   James Suckling
“Elegant, complex nose with dark and blue fruit, as well as spicy and earthy undertones. Sandalwood and cedar with dark chocolate, too. Full body with firm, ultra fine tannins. Structured, layered and flavorful on the palate. It’s very polished with a lovely texture and a long finish. Pure and luscious. Merlot with 37% cabernet franc. Best ever. Try after 2024, but already very beautiful.” (3/2021)

95    Jeb Dunnuck
“I think the 2018 Château Nenin might check in behind the magical 2019, but it’s certainly in the same league as the 2016. Based roughly on 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, its deep purple color is followed by a beautiful nose of ripe black cherries, cassis, chocolate, violets, and spring flowers. With beautiful freshness, medium to full-bodied richness, seamless tannin’s, and a great finish, this gorgeous Pomerol is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for two decades.” (3/2021)

93-95   Lisa Perrotti-Brown for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2018 Nenin is made up of 63% Merlot and 37% Cabernet Franc and has 14.6% alcohol. Yields were 33.8 hectoliters per hectare, and grapes were harvested between September 13 and October 12. The wine is to be aged in barriques, 45% new, and the finished blend was put into barrels last December. Deep purple-black in color, it sings of Morello cherries, Black Forest cake, licorice and lavender with a core of plum preserves, unsmoked tobacco and warm blackberries plus a waft of Provence herbs. Full-bodied and concentrated yet bursting with energy, it has a solid backbone of firm, rounded tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long.” (4/2019)

93    James Molesworth for Wine Spectator
“Ripe, and even a bit showy (atypical for the vintage), with plum, blackberry and blueberry notes bursting forth, backed by licorice and fruitcake accents. Starts to show its spine through the finish, with a tug of warm stone and tobacco adding contrast and cut. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2035.” (3/2021)

92   Decanter
“This has incredibly clear pencil lead and graphite flavours from the very first moment (I’ve tasted it a few times and always got this (to the point that I genuinely recommend it to wine students who are studying flavours!) but once you get beyond this, everything is precise and well fleshed out with beautiful ripe red fruits. A little higher than usual Cabernet Franc is in the blend and these are massal selection vines which are flavourful and rich in salinity. Drinking Window 2026 – 2038.” (4/2019) Jane Anson