with Christian Dalbavie, CSW – Kobrand Fine Wines & Spirits
@ Gordons Tasting Room with Chelsea Bell, Certified Sommelier, Gordons Fine Wines & Spirits
We recently spent a wonderful evening at Gordon’s Tasting Room at 150 Gould Street, Needham, MA with Christian Dalbavie, Kobrand Wine & Spirits and Chelsea Bell, Gordons Fine Wine & Spirits. The event was a stunning tour through the magnificent wines of Château La Nerthe, one of the oldest and most famous properties in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
We tasted through four flights of some of their most celebrated bottles.
Château La Nerthe CDP Blanc 2021
Grapes: 47% Roussanne, 38% Grenache Blanc, 1 % Clairette, 2% Bourboulenc
Château La Nerthe is one of the oldest estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and extends over 220 acres around the castle. Loamy, sandy soils dotted with large pebbles produce finesse and aromatic expression. The location, near one of the few natural springs of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape designation, creates a prominent diurnal microclimate that’s warm in the day but cool at night. This microclimate creates white wines with a strong personality. Hand harvesting is done early in the morning to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and grapes are sorted to remove any imperfect fruit. Fermentation of the Roussanne juice takes place in 60 gallon barrels (1/3 new) and then ages on their lees for 9 months. The remaining varietals are slowly pressed as whole grapes and only the most premium juice is extracted and retained. The must is then aged in temperature controlled stainless steel vats and stored to age on lees. Blending takes place shortly before bottling.1
My Tasting Note: Lovely nose. Vanilla, oak and melon hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity. Well-balanced with a lush palate. Apricot and citrus notes. Long finish. Lovely.
Château La Nerthe Clos de Beauvenir CDP Blanc 2020
Grapes: 60% Roussanne, 40% Grenache Blanc
The grapes for Clos de Beauvenir are grown in a single vineyard that was previously an old castle garden. It is protected from the wind by plane trees that also provide shade during the day. A nearby spring, one of the few natural springs in the region, creates a prominent diurnal microclimate that is warm during the day and cool at night. The vines are 4 years old on average and face south. Hand harvesting and sorting is done early in the morning to take advantage of cooler temperatures. The Roussanne grapes are fermented in small French oak barrels (1/3 new) and age on the lees for almost 10 months. The remaining varietals are slowly pressed as whole grapes for 3 hours to extract only premium juice. The juice is racked and fermentation begins in stainless steel vats at a low temperature to protect the flavors, and then aged on the lees for 9 months. Blending takes place shortly before bottling.1
My Tasting Note: Soft nose, lightly fruity with floral notes. Medium-bodied with firm acidity. Well-balanced. Pear, apple and apricot notes on the palate. Long, leesy finish. Tight and needs considerable aging.
Château La Nerthe CDP Rouge 2019
Grapes: 50% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 30% Syrah, 5% Cinsault
The terroir is typical for the region: vineyards run along a slope, at the top of which the vines dig their roots into soils of sandy-clay. On the surface there is a layer of the famous ‘galets’ (large, round, well-worn stones that originated in the Alps) that have been carried down to the Rhone by the glaciers of previous ice ages. The further down the slope of the vineyard you travel, the more these stones dominate. All (13) of the permitted primary varietals are planted. Grenache dominates 62% of vineyards and the vines average over 40 years old. The wine is aged 12 months in a combination (~50/50) of small French oak barrels and large French oak casks (‘Foudres‘) and blending takes place shortly before bottling.1
My Tasting Note: Lively nose – Jammy with blackberry and black cherry notes. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and firm tannins. Well-balanced. Dark fruit core with brambly, tarry notes. Youthful. Long finish with strong black pepper on the aftertaste. Very tight and needs time in the bottle to develop.
Château La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes CDP Rouge
Cuvée des Cadettes is not a selection made in the cellar, but a wine crafted from a unique, 20-acre vineyard planted with 85 to 100 year-old vines. The plots that make up the Cuvée are mainly based on sandy-clay soils which provide outstanding quality tannins. This Cuvée is co-fermented, hand-harvested, and hand-sorted. Alcoholic fermentation occurs directly after maceration, with wild yeast native to the vineyard. The intensity of pumping over and punching down is defined by tasting the fermenting juice to ensure the best extraction of the berry compounds. Maceration lasts 3 weeks and the wines are racked into concrete tanks for malolactic fermentation. The wine is then aged 12 months in 100% small French oak barrels and blending takes place shortly before bottling.1
Château La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes CDP Rouge 2008
Grapes: 40% Grenache Noir, 38% Syrah, 22% Mourvèdre
My Tasting Note: Intense, mature nose with dried cherry and dried herb hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and silky, but firm tannins. Well-balanced. Mature with cooked fruit and classic garrigue notes . Long, layered finish with black pepper and allspice on the aftertaste. Drinking beautifully, and I expect that the wine will continue to evolve for many years to come.
Château La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes CDP Rouge 2015
Grapes: 35% Grenache Noir, 33% Mourvèdre, 32% Syrah
My Tasting Note: Lively, fruity nose with black cherry and blackberry hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and firm tannins. Well-balanced. Dark fruit core with black pepper and rose attar notes. Long finish – tight, yet expressive. The wine needs time to evolve.
Château La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes CDP Rouge 2016
Grapes: 52% Grenache Noir, 38% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
My Tasting Note: Explosive, fruity nose with black cherry and blackberry hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and firm tannins. Well-balanced. Intense dark fruit core with strong black pepper notes. Tarry. Long finish – very tight. The wine needs much more time to evolve.
Château La Nerthe Les Clavelles CDP Rouge 2017
Grapes: 100% Grenache Noir
Les Clave Iles is a single parcel of Grenache that sits atop Le Crau, the famed plateau of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. After years of careful selection, this plot of loamy sands dotted with large pebbles was identified for its unique ability to express the terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape within a single varietal. With a gentle southwest-facing slope, these vines benefit from direct sunlight in the late afternoon and the famed Mistral winds from the North. The grapes are hand-picked and hand-sorted before whole clusters are fermented in a wooden tank. Pump-overs and punch-downs occur daily during fermentation to ensure optimal extraction of compounds. Maceration lasts 3 weeks before aging for 12 months in foudres or large old oak casks (30%) and old oak barrels (70%).1
My Tasting Note: Gamey, savory nose with anise and black licorice hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and firm, dry tannins. Well-balanced. Complicated palate with burnt-orange rind and saddle leather notes. Long finish – very tight. This wine should evolve beautifully over the next decade+.
1Commentary and details about La Nerthe provided by Christian Dalbavie, CSW, Kobrand Wine .
The wines were served with some light bites courtesy of Baker’s Best Catering.
Paired with Flight 1:
Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2021
Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Clos Beauvenir 2020
Tandoori Jumbo Shrimp With Apricot Curry Glaze (GF)
Paired with Flight 2:
Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2019
Selection of Cheese and Grilled Vegetables (V)
Tortellini Skewers (V)
Flight 3:
Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, Cuvée des Cadettes 2008
Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, Cuvée des Cadettes 2015
Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, Cuvée des Cadettes 2016
Teriyaki Cocktail Meatballs
Flight 4:
Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Les Clavelles 2017
Pork Shank Wings (GF) with hoisin bbq
The wines all showed wonderfully, especially the 2008 Cadettes!
Looking forward to the next opportunity to enjoy wines in this lovely space!