Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge AOC 2022

A Châteauneuf-du-Pape of dense, almost austere youth that quickly becomes rounder and silkier with air, without losing power or depth. Dry, 15.0% vol., with a warmth that never tips into heat.

Château La Nerthe's 92 hectares are spread across 57 parcels: 60 hectares around the château, 32 hectares on the Plateau de La Crau, where a dense clay layer lies beneath the galets roulés. Grapes for this wine come from clay and limestone, sand and clay, as well as sandstone with large pebbles. The estate is home to one of the appellation's few natural springs, surrounded by centuries-old forests — creating a microclimate of warm days and cool nights.

40 percent Grenache, 35 percent Syrah, 20 percent Mourvèdre and 5 percent Cinsault. Hand-harvested at optimal ripeness, kept separate by parcel, then cold maceration and spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts; extraction is guided by gentle pump-overs and punch-downs. The wine ages for 18 months, 15 percent in new barrels, the rest in older barrels, foudres and concrete. The blend is composed by Rémi Jean.

Intense and dense, with meaty notes and a matching texture. The nose shows ripe black cherries, plums and strawberries, along with game meat, garrigue, liquorice, violet, black Kampot pepper and a hint of tar. On the palate, the blue fruit remains mouth-filling, the acidity provides freshness, and the minerality brings energy and tension.

The estate has farmed entirely organically since 1998, without synthetic fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides. All 13 grape varieties permitted by the appellation are planted across the parcels; destemming has been practised here since the 1800s. The house introduced the bottle bearing the coat of arms in 2001.