Clos de Beauvenir Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2020

Château La Nerthe is one of the oldest estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, dating from 1560, with 220 acres of vineyards that surround the château. The grapes for Clos de Beauvenir are grown in a single vineyard that was previously an old castle garden. It is protected from the wind by plane trees that also provide shade during the day. A nearby spring, one of the few natural springs in the region, creates a microclimate that is warm during the day and cool at night. The vines are 40 years old on average and face south. Hand harvesting and sorting is done early in the morning to take advantage of cooler temperatures. The Roussanne grapes are fermented in small French oak barrels (one third is new oak) and age on the lees for almost 10 months. The remaining varietals are slowly pressed as whole grapes for 3 hours to extract only premium juice. The juice is racked and fermentation begins in stainless steel vats at a low temperature to protect the flavors, and then aged on the lees for 9 months. Blending takes place shortly before bottling.