Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 58% Merlot and 42% Cabernet Franc—the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc ever—the 2017 Nenin is deep garnet-purple in color and comes galloping out of the glass with exuberant notes of baked black cherries, plum preserves and black raspberries plus suggestions of licorice, candied violets and fallen leaves with a waft of melted chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers bags of youthful black fruits with seriously spicy sparks and a beautifully plush texture, finishing long with a compelling mineral kick.
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James Suckling
The density and drive to this is certainly impressive for the vintage with blueberry and stone character to the dried violet and sandalwood undertone. Medium to full body. Tight and compressed with freshness and length. Bright and exciting. Linear. Salty, too. Try after 2021.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 58% Merlot and 42% Cabernet Franc, brought up in 35% new French oak, the 2017 Château Nenin sports a healthy purple color as well as classic sweet cherry and currant fruits, tobacco leaf, and loamy earth. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, with a rounded, sexy texture. It will keep for 10-15 years.
Barrel Sample: 89-92 -
Wine Spectator
Fresh and bright in profile, featuring red currant and raspberry notes, gilded with floral hints and backed by a light rooibos tea echo. The lively acidity of the vintage carries the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2032.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a ripe blend of juicy Merlot and elegant Cabernet Franc. Fine tannins and a soft texture leave plenty of room for the succulent black fruits and final, almost sweet acidity. Drink the wine from 2022.
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Decanter
Generous Pomerol floral aromatics, reflecting the record amount of Cabernet Franc in the mix because of the frost. Enjoyable, careful extraction with a sexy burnish to the body before majoring on freshness and slate minerality on the finish. Has touches of the pencil lead that you always get in Nenin, and although this is austere, it will soften. It has improved over ageing. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040
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.