.JPG)
This little beauty, Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2008, is very highly rated on various wine sites.
I can see why. I tried it this week and it's superb. A real surprise to me. It had an almost Pauillac elegance, power and smoothness, with a subtlety I usually taste more in Bordeaux wines. (Yes, the left bank mainly, I am thinking St Julien)
Berry Brothers, not known for being particularly verbose in comparison with some wine retailers, are very keen, saying it is the "Most Exciting Wine of The Vintage".
They go on to say:
"Warm, ripe, sweet red and black fruit with sun dried herbs on the nose… intoxicating and hedonistic on the palate… this really is very close to the mighty 2007 but in some ways it is more yielding, and will be ready to be quaff as the 2007 lies dormant. It’s like a Provençale perfume: a beguiling essence of where it was grown. This is an estate on the up. (Simon Staples, Fine Wine Director)
The 2008 is made up of 46% Grenache, 34% Syrah, 14% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsualt and 1% intriguingly described as ‘divers’. The wine has a floral perfume and an elegant and beautifully balanced palate, with notes of hedgerow and gentle spice to the fore and attractive velvety tannins providing eloquent support.
(Simon Field MW, Rhône Buyer)"
I can't do the detail they can, but I can recommend it as an unusual (to me) CNP.
Chris Kissack, AKA the Wine Doctor, has a useful and readable profile of the Chateau, as usual, on his site.
He notes that they are a careful bunch, and it shows in the 2008 that I tasted:
"The fruit is harvested by hand, with careful attention to ensure each variety is picked at the appropriate time; with so many different varieties in the typical Châteauneuf vineyard, the temptation to save time, money and effort by picking all together is not inconsiderable."
It's not cheap, at somewhere between £30 and £40 a bottle, depending on duty etc. But it is a real gem.
No comments:
Post a Comment