Château Nenin

Big names in Pomerol - Château Nenin

Château Nénin is a wine estate in Pomerol in the north of Bordeaux. The château had been farmed by the Despujol family since 1847 before being acquired by Jean-Hubert Delon, a cousin of the owner, in 1997, just in time for harvest. Jean-Hubert did not sit back and immediately began to completely renovate and modernize the estate. He did not stop at the vineyards either, so vines were replanted, the system of vinification and blending was revised, and the cellar was extended. Air conditioning was installed in the storage cellar to guarantee perfect conditions for ripening and the fermentation tanks were renovated.

In the vineyards of Château Nenin

By Pomerol standards, Château Nenin is a very large winery. The region is characterized by many small wineries, whose vineyards rarely exceed 10 hectares. However, as many as 32 belong to Château Nenin. Thus, you can find almost the complete range of terroirs that characterize Pomerol. 

It consists mainly of Oligocene deposits covered by Dordogne alluvial gravel formations; the individual components are:

• siliceous clay
• Gravel
• Quartz
• Granite
• Iron deposits
• Basalt pebbles.

Beneath the deposits are the typical clay soils of the Pomerol plateau, which are the basis for many famous Bordeaux wines.

The grapes and the wine

The average age of the vines is 28 years and the planting density is between 6300 and 7100 plants per hectare. The land is planted with the following grape varieties:

• 76% Merlot
• 23% Cabernet Franc
• 1% Cabernet Sauvignon

Typical of the "right bank" of Bordeaux, the Merlot share is the greater.

The estate produces two wines today:

The main wine , Nénin, which is a "vin de garde", meaning it is best to cellar for a few years before drinking. The wine consists of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc.

Fugue de Nénin, the second wine, is the creation of the Delons, who first bottled it when they took over the estate in 1997. For the impatient, this wine is much more suitable as it can be drunk younger.