La Fugue de Nénin 2018

A blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Fugue de Nenin came in at 14.4% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it has an exuberant nose of crushed black and red cherries, plums preserves and blueberry pie with hints of lavender, bouquet garni and tilled soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is soft, juicy and ready for business, featuring loads of blue and black fruit flavors and a lively skip in its step on the finish.

Fresh and direct, with a sanguine edge to the mix of damson plum, bitter cherry and raspberry coulis notes. Savory and tobacco hints fill in on the slightly austere finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2027. 5,000 cases made.

You find the same graphite and pencil lead as in the first wine of Nenin, with plush, brushed tannins that place the wine in Pomerol, along with clear juice to the fruit. This isn’t exuberant, and there are notes of fig and fruits that push ripeness to the edge.

Dark cherries with some blueberry and herbal notes on the nose. It’s full-bodied with firm tannins. Savory with an inky note on the palate. Nice berry, dark-chocolate and hazelnut undertones. Flavorful finish with length. Second wine of Nenin. Try after 2023.

88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc; 25% new oak. pH 3.6. Barrel sample. Deepest cherry red. Unusual aroma of exotic spice, almost nutmeg. Really scented with that spice but not overpowered. Quite obvious oak on the palate, less spice, a thick but smooth texture. Supple and rounded then that nutmeg back on the finish. Not very long but generous in fruit at the core. (JH)

The 2018 Fugue de Nenin offers red berry fruit on the nose, along with shavings of black truffle, autumn leaves and light mushroom scents. The palate is medium-bodied with gritty tannins on the entry, moderate depth and a straightforward, slightly saline finish. Give it 12 months in bottle before broaching.

(88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 14.5% vol. alcohol) Herbal, broad bouquet, blackberry jelly, pepper, cedar, smoke. Medium-bodied, supple palate with slightly powdery tannins, sweet aromatics, opulent fruit, broad structure, medium finish. Can improve further. 16/20 2023 - 2034

Graphite accents with a hint of peppery rose, the palate delivers a very subtle, floral lift on the finish.

Logo on the cork: CB Dark, intense, youthful color. Lovely aromatic nose with pure, perfumed fruit, softer and more precise than usual. The palate follows smoothly, with flavor, mid-palate presence, and just a touch of firmness on the finish. It's good.

The second wine of this notable Pomerol estate, the Merlot-dominated 2018 Fugue de Nenin offers a plump, medium-bodied style revealing lots of red and black fruits, damp earth, and tobacco notes as well as a charming, supple, delicious style on the palate. Building nicely with time in the glass, it's beautifully balanced, and I'd certainly be happy to drink a bottle over the coming, say, 7-8 years or more. This is another wine that's ideal for readers looking for top notch Bordeaux that doesn't require a decade of cellaring.

The second wine of Château Nenin, this is already balanced. Tannins are fully integrated and the fruit bursts with structured energy. The wine has good medium-term potential and should be ready from 2025.