Winemaker Notes
The vintage 2000 was especially early thanks to rather mild weather at the beginning of the growth cycle. After heavy rain in April and cool weather until mid-June, the summer was then hot and dry up until the harvest. These very good weather conditions allowed us to produce perfectly balanced grapes with extremely rich phenolic components.
Blend: 73% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
It shows a serious amount of subtle aromas and flavors of tobacco, cherry and chocolate character. Full-bodied, with velvety, ripe tannins and a long and caressing finish. Yummy already. Hard to hold back. This is one of the best Nenins I have tasted in decades. Best after 2010.
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James Suckling
Ripe and rich wine with lots of dried fruits, dried mushrooms and cedar character. Bitter chocolate. Full and very chewy. Little short.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Full-bodied and powerful, but still tannic, structured, and backward, the 2000 Nenin possesses a dark ruby/plum color as well as a sweet nose of boysenberries, earth, flowers, and truffles. It requires another 4-5 years of bottle age, and should keep for 20 years thereafter.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.