Clos de Beauvenir Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2013

Château La Nerthe is one of the oldest estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and extends over 220 acres around their castle. Clos de Beauvenir Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc comes from a single vineyard enclosed by Provencal galets. The vines are an average 40 years old and face south. They are grown on terraces with a soil composed of sand, sandstone, and calcareous rock. The area is rich with centuries old olive and grain groves, symbols of the significant historical agricultural heritage.

Hand harvesting and sorting was done early in the morning to take advantage of the cooler temperatures. The Roussanne fermentation takes place in 60 gallon barrels (1/3 new) and then aged on lees. The remaining varietals were slowly pressed as whole grapes for 3 hours to extract only premium juice. After 24 hours, the juice was racked and fermentation begins at a low temperature to protect all flavors. Aging occured over 9 months with 88% in temperature controlled stainless steel vats and the last 12% in french oak barrels on lees. Blending took place shortly before bottling.