Château Nénin 1998

Tasting Notes and Advice for Château Nénin 1998

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a deep, dense ruby hue, retaining remarkable intensity despite more than two decades of evolution.

Nose

The bouquet is complex and intense, revealing aromas of black cherry, plum and black fruit jam. Smoky notes mingle with scents of roasted coffee, melted caramel and vanilla. With aeration, the nose develops nuances of toasted hazelnut and chocolate, typical of a merlot that has reached full maturity.

Palate

The attack is supple, before unfolding into a broad, generous structure. The creamy texture envelops velvety tannins, perfectly integrated into a rich, concentrated core. The palate expresses flavors of black fruits and plum, supported by balanced freshness. The silky finish lingers elegantly with spicy, lightly toasted notes.

Food and Wine Pairings

This Château Nénin 1998 is an ideal match for roasted red meats, notably beef, and game such as venison. It also pairs well with a roasted rack of lamb, duck or turkey dishes, as well as baked pasta with meat sauces. Aged cheeses also make a harmonious pairing.

Serving and Cellaring

Château Nénin 1998 has reached full maturity and can be enjoyed now. Its structure nonetheless allows it to continue evolving for several more years. One hour of decanting allows its aromatic complexity to be fully expressed. Serve at a temperature of 16-18°C.

A cellar-worthy Pomerol combining power and elegance

The estate

Founded in 1847, Château Nénin is a benchmark estate in Pomerol, north of Bordeaux, with 32 hectares of vines in an almost contiguous single block. Since its acquisition in 1997 by the Delon family, the estate has undergone a complete restructuring of both the vineyard and the cellars. The grape varieties and the diversity of soils on the Pomerol plateau shape a great age-worthy wine combining power and elegance.

The vineyard

The Château Nénin vineyard stretches across the Pomerol plateau, benefiting from a remarkable diversity of soils. The terroirs combine Oligocene deposits covered with alluvial gravelly formations from the Dordogne, enriched with clay silicas, gravel, quartz, granite, ferruginous deposits and basalt pebbles. This geological mosaic gives the wines exceptional complexity and depth, characteristic of the great Pomerol wines.

The vintage

The 1998 vintage proved exceptional for the Right Bank of Bordeaux. After a cool, wet start to the season in April and May, followed by a contrasting June, August brought intense heat exceeding 38°C for several consecutive days. This heatwave accelerated the ripening of the merlots. A hailstorm in August necessitated severe green harvesting, further concentrating the remaining grapes. September benefited from welcome rainfall and favorable weather, allowing estates in Pomerol and Saint-Émilion to harvest under ideal conditions, before torrential late-September rains affected the Médoc.

Winemaking and aging

Château Nénin 1998 was crafted according to rigorous selection protocols implemented from the very first year of the new management. Only 40% of the crop was kept for the grand vin, reflecting the highest quality standards. The hand-harvested grapes were vinified with care in the estate’s fully modernized facilities. Aging took place in oak barrels, including a proportion of new oak, allowing the wine to develop its structure and aromatic complexity.

Grape varieties

Merlot (80%)
Cabernet franc (20%)