1997 Chateau La Nerthe - Châteauneuf-du-Pape - 4 Bottles (0.75L)

Château La Nerthe is a leading estate in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region of the southern Rhône Valley. The estate has been producing wine since the 12th Century, but its reputation has been largely earned by current proprietors the Richard family, who bought the property in a run-down state in 1985. The red wines are generally regarded as being more softly structured and more modern in style than some of the other top estates.

The estate boasts 92 hectares (227 acres) of vineyard, which have been certified organic since 1998. All 13 of the legal varieties for red Châteauneuf-du-Pape are planted, although production centers on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

The cellars, which date back to 1560, are dug directly into the rock beneath the property. Some of the original stone vats with meter-thick stone walls remain, and are now lined with epoxy resin. The château itself was built in 1736.

The vast majority of Château la Nerthe's production is devoted to red wines. These are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, concrete and stone vats, and large wooden tanks. The small volume of white grapes harvested by the estate is commonly made in smaller barrels (barriques).

The Château La Nerthe red cuvée represents the bulk of production, making around 15,000 cases a year, while a recently introduced second wine, Clos de la Granière, accounts for about 5000 cases. Both are Grenache-dominant with smaller amounts of Mourvèdre and Syrah, and other permitted varieties, albeit mostly in small quantities.

La Nerthe also makes around 1500 cases a year of the Cuvée des Cadettes, a GSM blend made with fairly equal proportions of each variety. The estate makes two white wines from classic Rhône varieties including Roussanne, Clairette and Grenache Blanc.

The Richard family also owns Domaine de la Renjarde in the Côtes du Rhône Massif d'Uchaux appellation, and Prieuré de Monte in Tavel.