Exploring the Roussillon (7) Château Nadal Hainaut
Château Nadal Hainaut, an organic wine producer in the Roussillon making some nice wines.
This visit was with Pauline Nadal, one of the daughters of the current owners, responsible for production. She has two sisters who don’t work in the business. Pauline trained in fine arts in London at Central St Martins, and is a ceramicist. She’s pictured above with her father.
She says that wine can be a very masculine field, but along the way she has met powerful female winemakers and she realised that this is something she can do. As a ceramicist, she worked with her hands, and as a winemaker ‘I work with my hands,’ she says. Making wine, is, to her, a certain form of art. ‘It keeps my artistic mind at peace.’ One thing she did was change all the labels, which was difficult at first, but now her parents let her do all of them.
The Hainault family bought this estate back in 1826. But by 1900 there were just two daughters involved, so they had to get married and continue the story. So one of them got married to Francois Nadal, which is the family name now.
So Pauline is sixth generation. She says that her parents worked their whole life to rebuild the estate, and they are still investing in it today. It has a beautiful chapel, because before this was a monastery, with mixed farming, before the French revolution when it was dissolved.
Half of the business focuses on hospitality, with weddings from March until November the core component. This also helps them sell their wine.
They just make estate wine from 27 hectares of vines, with 10 varieties, all farmed organically. This includes a centenarian plot of Carignan.
THE WINES
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Héméré Blanc de Noirs 2024 Côtes Catalanes
White wine from Grenache Noir, direct pressed. Light, bright, taut and quite mineral with lovely focused pear and citrus fruit, with a hint of cherry. Stony and slightly mineral on the finish. 89/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut 3 Sources Macabeu 2024 Côtes Catalanes
Beautifully packaged. This is crisp and primary with nice sweet pear drop and citrus character, showing transparency and purity. There’s nice depth of fruit, but this is all about fresh, primary pear fruit. Crisp and taut. 90/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut 3 Sources Rosé de Syrah 2024 Côtes Catalanes
Pale pink in colour this is textural and focused at the same time with high carbon dioxide adding freshness to the sweet pear and peach fruit with some cherry and citrus. Fresh and linear: this is really appealing. 91/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Aurore Aux Doigts de Rosé Grenache Gris 2024 Côtes Catalanes
2 months in French oak after stainless steel fermentation. Bright, lively and a bit spicy with some mandarin and orange peel as well as cherry and pear fruit. Brisk, lively and stony on the finish. Nice purity here with lots of primary fruit. 91/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Marie 2024 Côtes Catalanes
This is 100% Chardonnay. Fermented in American oak, one-third new, and stays there for just two months. Nice primary pear fruit here with a touch of banana, showing vivid fruit and some subtle spiciness. Nice plump fruit here, and the oak is in the background. 89/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Alexandrie Muscat Sec 2023 Côtes Catalanes
This is Muscat d’Alexandrie. Lovely aromatics here with table grapes, honey and fine spices. This is fresh and direct, a lovely dry Muscat that’s expressive and floral and bright. 91/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Grenache 2023 Côtes Catalanes
5 day maceration. Light in colour. Supple with some stewed strawberry and cherry fruit with a bit of spicy white pepper framing. Such drinkability to this wine. Supple and fun. 91/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut 3 Sources Syrah Sans Sulfites Ajoutés 2024 Côtes Catalanes
One day maceration. This is plump and rounded with nice textured cherry and strawberry fruit. Pure and supple with plummy fruit and some nice warmth, showing rounded texture. Very appealing and reassuring. 92/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut 1900 Centenaire Carignan 2023 Côtes Catalanes
Unoaked. Bright, fresh and vivid with a nice stony edge to the supple black cherry and raspberry fruit with a bit of tarry, herby character. Expressive and drinkable, with a savoury, restrained character. 91/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Odyssée 2019 Côtes du Roussillon
This is a blend, but mostly Grenache Noir, with some Syrah. This has plump cherry and berry fruit with nice drinkability, showing some strawberry richness, too. Has some spice and a touch of pepper, as well as some wild herbs. 91/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Terre de Quarante 2020 Côtes du Roussillon
Mostly Syrah and a bit of Grenache Noir (40%). One year in oak, one quarter new. Bold, juicy, some nice bright cherry and plum fruit with a bit of tarry, spicy oak in the mix. Grippy with a touch of reduction. Has a savoury twist. 89/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Hydre de Lac Sans Sulfites Ajoutés 2019 Côtes du Roussillon
Syrah (70%) and Grenache, six months in oak. Spicy, savoury and quite wild with lots of flavour. Herbs, pepper, tar and then some grippy structure. There is a spicy, herby, dry savoury finish here with tertiary flavours. Complex and intriguing. 90/100
Domaine Nadal Hainaut Signum 2020 Côtes du Roussillon
This is lovely. Mainly Syrah, vinification integrale, then basket pressed. Good concentration and freshness with some black pepper and black cherry, as well as some spicy detail. Powerful but fresh with nice brightness, showing a little bit of savoury evolution. Some pepper, thyme and iodine here. Lovely detail. This is really good. 1800 bottles made. 94/100
