Fugue de Nénin

History

Château Nénin has been producing great wines in the heart of the Pomerol appellation, with the Grand Vin being produced only on the very best parcels, located on the plateau of Pomerol. The Delon family, historical owners of the Médoc Châteaux Léoville Las Cases and Potensac, acquired Château Nénin from their cousins of the Despujol family in 1997. As a result, the property still belongs to the same family since 1847. As soon as the property was bought, a profound restructuring was undertaken in order to make it one of the greatest Crus on the right bank.

As soon as he bought the property, Jean-Hubert Delon immediately undertook major work, aware of the extraordinary potential of this estate. The vineyards were extensively restructured, new plots were planted, others were uprooted and replanted, the production equipment was completely rethought, extended and developed in order to produce the best wines from the splendid grapes born on this exceptional terroir. The wines, year after year, offer more and more precision, elegance and balance, beyond the effects of the “vintage”. The search for perfection and progress is permanent, and animates all their teams who work with passion for the improvement of the Grand Vin du Château Nénin and its other label, the “Fugue de Nénin”, produced on the adjacent parcels, below the plateau.

Terroir & Vinification

The current vineyard covers 32 hectares, but only 8 hectares are used to create the Grand Vin. Geological studies have shown the presence of 23 different soil types, with different proportions of sand, gravel, clay and gravelly clay. The vineyard is composed of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the vines are 27 years old on average (some Merlots are over 100 years old!). The vines recently replanted following the buyout are the result of massal selection, carried out on vines from the Enclos de Léoville Las Cases.

The vineyard is ideally situated on the southern slope of the high plateau of Pomerol, a privileged location whose ideal exposure allows the perfect ripening of the grapes. The work of the vineyard is very meticulous and thorough: the operations carried out in green with a thorough attention allow the vineyard to be in an ideal sanitary state. The soils on which the vines for Fugue are planted contain more sand than the other parcels on the property, which is particularly favorable for Merlot. The blend is richer in Merlot than for the Grand Vin (Fugue’s blend: 88% Merlot / 12% Cabernet Franc), as greediness is sought above all in this Second Wine.
The vinification is done traditionally, the wine is then blended before maturing in barrels, 30 % new, for this second wine.

Tasting

At the tasting, Fugue de Nénin offers round and silky wines and can be enjoyed after a few years in bottles. It is a great introduction to the Grand Vin, as its name, Fugue, announces it.

Their Team

• Owner: DELON Family
• Manager: Jean-Hubert DELON
• Operations Manager: Michael GEORGES
• Consulting œnologist: Eric BOISSENOT