Château La Nerthe

History of Château La Nerthe

The first document attesting to the existence of Château La Nerthe was signed on 25 November 1560. It records its acquisition by the Tulle de Villefranche family. At the time, it was a country house known as the Grange de Beauvenir. During the three centuries that followed, this noble family continuously developed and embellished their estate, making La Nerthe an absolute benchmark in southern viticulture. Marquis Jean-Dominique Tulle de Villefranche would complete its rise to become one of the leading estates of the Rhône Valley by initiating the construction of the château on the foundations of a medieval cellar. The Tulle de Villefranche family were also pioneers in export: they shipped their wines in bottles as early as 1776, a first for the region, and established their presence on the great tables of Europe and North America from 1786 onwards.

At the end of the nineteenth century, ravaged by phylloxera, the vineyard passed into the hands of Commandant Joseph Ducos. From 1878 onwards, Ducos undertook with great enthusiasm the resurrection of the clos de La Nerthe, testing numerous grape varieties and laying the foundations of what would become in 1936 the first Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in France. It is also to Joseph Ducos that we owe the change of name of the commune, renamed Châteauneuf-du-Pape in place of Châteauneuf-Calcernier.

After a troubled period, marked notably by the requisition of the château by the German occupying forces in 1943, the Richard family acquired the estate in April 1985. They then undertook a meticulous restoration of the château and dug a modern winemaking cellar. The vineyard was extended in 1991, growing from 60 to 92 hectares with the acquisition of magnificent plots located on the neighbouring plateau of La Crau, harbouring an extraordinary heritage of old vines. At the same time, the Richard family set about revealing the great terroir of La Nerthe through nature-respecting farming methods and a plot-by-plot approach, reflecting a precision viticulture. Today, the Richard family continues to write this centuries-old history with the same ambition: to preserve and reveal a unique viticultural and architectural heritage.

Terroirs and Vines of Château La Nerthe

The vineyard of Château La Nerthe is a mosaic of 57 plots featuring the four major soil families of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the 13 grape varieties of the appellation. This geological diversity is at the very heart of La Nerthe's style: complex, fresh wines of remarkable depth.

The vineyard is divided into two distinct blocks. The 60 hectares surrounding the château feature a majority of sands, marls and clay-limestone soils, enriched by the famous rounded pebbles, with some highly calcareous zones more conducive to white wines. The remaining 32 hectares extend across the celebrated plateau of La Crau, further to the east: a dense layer of clay beneath the rounded pebbles creates ideal conditions for grenache, while mourvèdre develops its elegant tannic structure on the more humid south-facing slopes.

Among the estate's most emblematic named plots, the Clos de Beauvenir stands out for its limestone soils, the cradle of the white grape varieties Roussanne and Grenache Blanc of great finesse. The Cadettes vineyard, meanwhile, is home to the estate's oldest vines, including some Grenache Noir planted as early as 1935. Grenache dominates with 62% of the vine plantings, and the average age of the vines exceeds 40 years. All 13 grape varieties authorized by the appellation are represented: grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, cinsault and counoise for the reds; grenache blanc, roussanne, clairette and bourboulenc for the whites.

The harvests are carried out by hand, and yields are rigorously controlled: approximately 25 to 30 hectoliters per hectare, equivalent to one bottle per vine. Phytosanitary protection is provided exclusively by simple products such as copper and sulfur, in full compliance with the organic farming specifications certified by Ecocert since 1998.

Winemaking at Château La Nerthe

Winemaking at Château La Nerthe revolves around a subtle balance between respect for tradition and contemporary technical mastery. Depending on the terroirs and the gustatory quality of the grapes, vinification takes place in stainless steel vats or in wood. The vatting begins with a cold pre-fermentation maceration phase of 12 to 24 hours, before alcoholic fermentation is triggered by the indigenous yeasts native to the terroir.

Pump-overs and punch-downs are carried out during fermentation to ensure the best possible extraction of the grape's compounds. The vatting lasts approximately three weeks, after which the wines are transferred into demi-muids, barrels, large oak casks and stone vats for malolactic fermentation. A historical pioneer of total destemming since the nineteenth century, the estate employs this technique to extract substance without excessive harshness.

The aging process lasts approximately 12 months, and the blending is only carried out at the end of this aging period. Tasting is conducted barrel by barrel in order to compose each cuvée as precisely as possible. The aging techniques vary according to the grape varieties: grenache is kept in vats to preserve its purity and fruitiness, while mourvèdre is refined in new or used French oak barrels. For the white wines, part of the juice ferments in oak barrels and the rest in stainless steel vats, in order to preserve tension and freshness; malolactic fermentation is avoided to maintain their vibrancy. 

The Cuvées of Château La Nerthe

The range of Château La Nerthe focuses on four great cuvées under the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, two reds and two whites, complemented by wines under the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages appellation produced on the plots of the Cassagnes de La Nerthe, located 15 km north of the appellation.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge

This wine is the most direct and most representative expression of the estate. The blend revolves around 55% grenache, 17% syrah, 15% mourvèdre, 7% cinsault and 3% counoise, complemented by the other grape varieties planted across the vineyard. The terroir mobilised encompasses the named plots La Crau, Les Escondudes, Les Rêves and La Nerthe, combining rounded pebbles, sands and clays. The wine is aged in a blend of varied containers — new barrels, used barrels and vats — for a period of 12 to 18 months, with an average of 18% new French oak. The result is a wine that is ample, fleshy and of great aromatic depth, expressing notes of ripe dark fruits, spices and garrigue, with a silky tannic structure and a remarkable ageing potential.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Cuvée des Cadettes

A great single-vineyard cuvée sourced from the estate's oldest vines, the Cuvée des Cadettes is one of the rarest and most sought-after wines of the appellation. It is not a selection made in the cellar, but a wine sourced from a unique eight-hectare vineyard planted with vines aged between 85 and 100 years. The plots rest primarily on sandy-clay soils that yield tannins of remarkable quality. The current blend is composed of approximately 34% grenache, 33% syrah and 33% mourvèdre. The wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, 80% new and 20% used. 

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc

Crafted from the four emblematic white grape varieties of the appellation, this Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc combines approximately 32% grenache blanc, 30% roussanne, 22% bourboulenc and 16% clairette. The grapes come from the limestone and sandy plots surrounding the château, which are particularly well-suited to white grape varieties. Vinification in stainless steel vats and barrels ensures a perfect balance between aromatic freshness and complexity. The wine delights with its notes of white fruits, flowers and gentle spices, with a round, fresh palate and a beautiful length. 

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Clos de Beauvenir

A true gem of the estate, the Clos de Beauvenir is one of the greatest white wines of the Rhône Valley. Born from an ancient garden of the estate, its soils strewn with rounded pebbles and surrounded by natural springs are the cradle of roussanne and grenache blanc of infinite finesse. The blend brings together approximately 60% roussanne and 40% grenache blanc (or clairette depending on the vintage), and production never exceeds 250 cases per year. This rare white wine is moreover only produced in the greatest vintages. 

Les Granières Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge

A true wine of pleasure and accessibility, Les Granières expresses the generous fruitiness of La Nerthe's terroir with a lighter, immediately appealing approach. The blend revolves around 45% grenache, 24% syrah, 18% mourvèdre and 8% cinsault, aged in large oak casks and used barrels, with no new oak. Sourced from the estate's youngest vines, this wine reveals aromas of fresh red fruits, garrigue and light spices, with a supple, balanced palate and a lovely freshness.