Winemaker Notes
Blend: 67% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A gorgeous example of this château in Pomerol, the 2023 Château Nénin is a blend of 67% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged 16 months in 40% new French oak. Ripe red and black fruits, chocolaty herbs, graphite, and damp earth all shine on the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, layered, textured mouthfeel, sweet tannins, and a great finish. I wouldn't be surprised to see this turn out to be the greatest Nénin ever produced. Drink 2028-2053.
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James Suckling
Very perfumed, with a chalk and terra-cotta undertone to the plums and strawberries. Medium-bodied, this shows beautiful subtlety and finesse, with a roundness that builds on the palate. So delicious and gorgeous. Soft winemaking delivers excellence here. A blend of 67% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 3% cabernet sauvignon. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Structured and full of ripe black fruits, the wine has a core of firm tannins. It is spicy with juicy berry flavors and a black-coffee aroma.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a direct and pure core of red and black currant fruit laced with singed alder and savory through the focused finish. Shows a late sanguine echo. A solid, bling-free expression of Pomerol. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2027 through 2038.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Notes of sweet berries, cherries and petals, along with a subtle hint of leather, introduce the 2023 Nenin, a medium- to full-bodied and open-knit wine that is framed by powdery tannins. This will be approachable young.
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.