Wine Reviews

Vivid ruby. Intense, heady aromas of candied red fruits, lavender and Asian spices. Rich and broad but energetic, offering sweet raspberry and cherry flavors and an exotic floral pastille nuance. Closes on a lively, spicy note, with excellent clarity, power and persistence.

The 2010 La Nerthe Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits the rare combination of unbridled power and freshness, minerality and abundant aromatics. A well-made, delicious red, with blueberry, boysenberry, black raspberry fruit, some background wood smoke, and the tell-tale Provencal garrigue, pepper and loamy soil notes.

This is focused and intense, a beam of sweet, sappy berry fruit riding over velvety-firm tannins. It feels surprisingly fresh and vivid for a 2010, the acidity keeping it lively while the flavors last long.

The 2010 La Nerthe is a top vintage of this wine, which typically includes a decent proportion of Mourvèdre. It’s spicy and plummy in style, with notes of cinnamon and clove that add welcome complexity to the dark fruit.

A blast of toasted spice leads the way for a core of linzer torte, plum sauce and dark cherry preserves. The solid, juicy finish lets a red licorice note extend through it, with nice underlying grip