Chateau La Nerthe

Archives affirm Château La Nerthe’s existence as early as 1560, while suggesting an even more distant past dating to the dawn of the region’s wine culture in the 12th century, making it one of Châteauneuf’s oldest estates and a benchmark producer of the region. Châteauneuf-du-Pape – means “New Castle of the Pope” referring to the time in the 14th century when the pope resided in Avignon, not in Rome. In 1986 the Richard family, involved in wine making and wine distribution since 1892, purchased Château La Nerthe and has undergone a vast rehabilitation both in viticulture and viniculture.

Château La Nerthe is located in the heart of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC region of southern France not far from Avignon. The 225 acres of Château La Nerthe’s vineyards are located in a single block around the Château and have been certified Organic since 1998. The estate benefits from a Mediterranean-type microclimate, with notably, 200 days of sunshine a year. The warmth promotes the early ripening of grapes and allows harvest to be completed during short time lapses.

The vineyard of Château La Nerthe includes 14 different grape varieties, planted each on the parcels of land that are best suited for them. Grenache dominates 62% of vineyards and the vines average over 40 years old.

The terroir is very typical for the region: vineyards runs along a slope, at the top of which the vines dig their roots into soils of sandy-clay, on the surface there is a layer of the famous galettes, large, round, well-worn stones that originated in the Alps, having been carried down to the Rhône by the glaciers of previous ice ages. The further down the slope of the vineyard you travel, the more these stones dominate.

Ralph Garcin, Managing Director, was born and raised in the Provence vineyards of Southern France. After earning his degree in winemaking and agricultural engineering in Montpellier, he then left for Northern Rhône where he served as assistant winemaker and buyer at M. Chapoutier. After such a rich experience in a top-end craft winery, Ralph decided to gather international winemaking experience and went abroad to Australia and Oregon.

Back from this amazing technical and personal experience, Ralph took the responsibility of Technical Director and Head Winemaker in the Burgundy-based company Boisset in the Southern Rhône. After 5 years, Ralph took on the challenge of Winemaker and Buyer at Paul Jaboulet Ainé. The most noticeable changes during his tenure were a drastic reduction in yields, organic farming and a minimalist but precise approach in the winery. Ralph join the Château La Nerthe team as Managing Director effective January 2016. “I am humbled to join the Château La Nerthe team as Managing Director and will endeavor to continue the tradition of making wines that express the personality of our unique and rich terroir”.