Château La Nerthe’s 230 acres of vineyards has a terroir of rock, sand, clay and loam soils. In the front of the chateau are 148 acres of vines planted in soils of clay and sand. The remaining 74 acres of vineyards are behind the château, which has more rocks and stones, known as gallets. There are 13 grape varieties, some more than 85 years old, planted at Château La Nerthe and allowed in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation.
The climate is Mediterranean with 300 days of sunshine a year, moderated by the Mistral winds. The diversity of the soils and sub-soils create a mosaic of micro-terroirs. The objective is to locate the perfect match between soil and grape variety. The vineyard has been certified organic since 1998.

This wine is a blend of 35% Syrah, 33% Grenache, 31% Mourvèdre, and 1% other varieties aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. This ruby, deep garnet colored wine has pure scents of rose petals and allspice. Within is ripe mixture of roasted red plums, black and red raspberries. There are an abundant array of culinary spices with wild sage, cardamom and thyme in the background. Everything is neatly packaged into this very approachable Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

By W Peter Hoyne