Château Nénin 2002

Characteristics and tasting advice for Château Nénin 2002

Tasting

Color

The color shows a moderately deep ruby hue with plum and dark red fruit highlights.

Nose

The nose reveals aromas of plum and blackcurrant accompanied by milky notes. With aeration, the bouquet gains aromatic complexity, unveiling fragrances of undergrowth, licorice and truffle, lifted by touches of fresh cherry and red fruits.

Palate

On the palate, the wine is rich and well-structured, with concentrated flavors of dark fruits, cherry and plum. Notes of licorice, truffle and cocoa add depth. The palate reveals firm, well-integrated tannins supported by lovely freshness. The finish lingers elegantly with fruity, spicy and oaky notes.

Food and wine pairings

This Château Nénin 2002 pairs perfectly with red and white meats such as beef, veal, lamb, pork and poultry. It also matches very well with game, especially venison, as well as mushroom-based dishes and a selection of aged cheeses.

Serving and cellaring

Château Nénin 2002 is ideally enjoyed at a temperature of 15.5°C. Decanting for one to two hours allows the wine to open up and fully express its aromatic bouquet. This vintage can be enjoyed until around 2027.

The structure and elegance of a Pomerol wine

The estate

Acquired in 1997 by the Delon family, Château Nénin spans 32 hectares in Pomerol, north of Bordeaux. The 8 hectares of the plateau’s finest clay-gravel terroirs are devoted to the grand vin, while the remainder supplies, in particular, Fugue de Nénin. Under the leadership of Jean-Hubert Delon, the estate benefited from a complete restructuring from the time of acquisition, modernizing both vineyard and cellars. The grape variety mix, dominated by Merlot with an increasing share of Cabernet Franc, aims to produce a great age-worthy Pomerol that is powerful and elegant.

The vineyard

The Château Nénin vineyard benefits from a diverse terroir composed of gravel, clay and sand, with traces of iron in the soil. The best plots, located on the plateau of Pomerol, rest on clay-gravel soils enriched with siliceous deposits, quartz, granite and basalt pebbles. This geological mosaic gives the wines their distinctive character and aging potential.

The vintage

The 2002 vintage in Bordeaux proved classic and demanding. Irregular flowering, disrupted by heavy rainfall and a cold, damp May, led to poor fruit set. A cool summer with limited sunshine raised concerns, but the arrival of warm temperatures in mid-September made it possible to reach satisfactory ripeness. Merlot was affected by coulure and millerandage, reducing yields. Rigorous selection and the use of vibrating sorting tables made it possible to remove damaged berries and produce classic wines with firm tannins.

Vinification and aging

Vinification of Château Nénin 2002 is carried out in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats of 70 to 160 hectoliters. The grand vin is then aged for around 18 months in French oak barrels, 30% of which are new oak. A strict selection retains only 30 to 40% of production for the grand vin, with the remainder allocated to the second wine, Fugue de Nénin.

Grape varieties

Merlot and Cabernet Franc