A Château La Nerthe White Wine Pairing

By David Scott Allen:

White Wine Pairing

As you may recall from my reviews over time, I have become a big fan of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. It is one of those wines that says “special occasion” to me. Thus, I decided to treat myself for my birthday and get a bottle.

The only problem is that my birthday—more than one month ago. We got busy, and this specially-purchased bottle of Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc (vintage 2017) rested untouched in my wine rack. How on earth did I forget that?

Creating a food pairing for a wine I have never tasted can be difficult, and a bit tricky, and I was fortunate it worked well. I am sure it would have worked with other Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc wines, too—if you know the varietals, they will tell you what direction to take for the food.

Winery Details Château La Nerthe

The Château La Nerthe vineyard is located in the heart of the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation. Arriving at this property it’s impossible to ignore the history an 18th-century château overlooks the grapevines and sits atop 16th-century cellars. Arrange a visit to the cellars to appreciate the five centuries of winemaking on this property. The Tulle Villefranche family purchased the land, established grapevines and its existing buildings in 1560. The family members would continue to develop grape cultivation and wine production over the next three centuries. The property changed hands in 1870 and again 1985 when the family behind les Domaines Richard acquired the vineyard.

Château La Nerthe (website)
4213 Route de Sorgues
84230 Châteauneuf du Pape
Telephone: +33 (0)4 90 83 59 04
May – September open daily 10h – 18h
October – April open Monday to Saturday, closed for lunch

Susan Newman Manfull

It was love at first sight when my family and I arrived in the charming village of Lourmarin for a short vacation, nearly 20 years ago. We returned home to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the next thing I knew, we were planning a much longer sojourn in that village and making arrangements to enroll our daughter in the local school there. That led to buying a maison de village— actually two, then a courtyard, a parking spot, and a bergerie— in our favourite Provençal village where we (readily) adopted that certain joie de vivre, established dear friendships, and, to this day, endeavour to blend in with the crowd at Café Gaby.

We no longer own property in Lourmarin, but we continue to hang our hats there frequently and gather fodder for our souls and The Modern Trobaors and Provence WineZine. There is never a shortage.

The Modern Trobadors, conceived in 2008, is about all things Provence: its markets, hilltop villages, lavender, art, literature, culture, history, food, wine, and news. Provence WineZine, launched in August 2014, focuses on wines from Provence and the Southern Rhône Valley regions—with a special emphasis on Provence's world-renowned rosés—and the men and women who make them.