This is from only the old vines in the clay and gravel soils on the plateau. Really fantastic. It’s medium-to full-bodied and the tannins just roll off the palate at the end. Dark fruit and spices. So long. One of the best modern wines from here? 68% merlot and 32% cabernet franc.

A blend of 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Franc raised in 40% new oak, the 2020 Château Nenin brings the intensity up a notch, offering a rock star nose of cassis and darker berries as well as crushed stone, graphite, chocolate, and violets. The purity is spot on and it has a precise, focused texture that's very much in the vintage, flawless balance, and a great finish. It's another gem of a Pomerol in the vintage readers will love to have in the cellar. For the tech geeks out there, the alcohol reached 14% and the pH was 3.65 with an IPT of 76.

A blend of 68% Merlot (harvested 8th to 16th September) and 32% Cabernet Franc (harvested 21st to 23rd September), the 2020 Nenin is aging in French oak barriques, 40% new. It has an alcohol of 14%, a pH of 3.65 and an IPT (tannin index) of 76. Deep purple-black in color, it glides effortlessly out of the glass with wonderfully pure notes of crushed blueberries, fresh blackberries and ripe red and black plums, plus suggestions of lavender, star anise and Ceylon tea with a waft of cast-iron pan. The medium-bodied palate is fantastically elegant and beautifully poised, featuring exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness to support the perfumed red and black fruit layers, finishing long and mineral laced. A real head-turner!
Drink Date
2025 - 2048
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Deeply colored, you find touches of cedar, flowers, licorice, herbs and dark plums on the nose. Bright, fresh, sweet and crisp, with a zesty, savory, dark red berry mid-palate and long, chewy, spicy finish, this needs some time to soften and develop. Give it 5-7 years in the cellar and enjoy over the next 2 decades. The wine blends 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Franc. 93-95

Tasted by Jane Anson(at Primeur week tastings in Bordeaux, 01 May 2021)

The classic Nenin pencil lead here - you get an intellectual approach to Pomerol at Nenin, with an opening of graphite and liquorice root, but it widens out to show fleshier style of ripe raspberry and black cherry. The tannins give a bite on the finish, and this is one I suggest leaving for a good six to eight years before drinking. 40% new oak, 3.65pH, IPT76. Harvest from September 8th to 23rd. A very good quality Nenin. From 8ha, really focusing only on the heart of the plateau. 40% new oak. Now using 5% amphoras for the Cabernet Franc, which has maybe given this touch of reduction.

Drinking Window 2026 - 2040

The 2020 Nénin now comes exclusively from the Pomerol plateau. It was picked September 8–16 for the Merlot and September 21–23 for the Cabernet Franc, and raised in 40% new oak. Whereas the Fugue de Nénin is open and expressive, clearly the Grand Vin cares little for showing its wares at this early stage, remaining tight-lipped for an hour before almost reluctantly opening with blackberry, thyme and gravelly scents, all well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and a fine bead of acidity. The Cabernet Franc imparts welcome pepperiness toward the latter half – not a million miles away from Trotanoy. This trait turns more toward a pencil lead note with continued aeration. A serious Pomerol that deserves 5–7 years in the cellar, but has the substance to give 30 years of drinking pleasure.
- vinous.com

The 2020 Nénin impresses with its density and backbone. At the same time, the 2020 possesses terrific freshness. As always, Nénin has a high percentage of Cabernet Franc (32%). At times, the Merlot and Franc aren't so well put together in the early going, but that is not at all an issue in 2020. I especially admire the wine's focus and overall sense of vibrancy. A host of floral, savory and mineral notes linger on the salivating finish. There's plenty to look forward to here. Vinous.com

(68% M, 32% CF; 14% ABV; 40% new)
An immediately clear impression of the subtle floral character of the Cabernet Franc, alongside a touch of wood; full, very fresh in acidity, fine-textured in tannin; sweet yet fresh, long and detailed across the palate, a touch wood-dry, but in no way coarse; long, fresh, and very Cabernet Franc racy. A fine Nenin. 2028–48+.

68% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Deep colour. Purer and more lifted than Fugue with graphite and dark-fruit notes. Juicy and textured on the palate, the fruit plush and the tannins velvety and fine-grained. More sensual and Pomerol-esque than in the past. (JL)