La Nerthe's 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes is mostly Mourvèdre (55%), with the rest being Syrah (25%), Grenache (17%) and other permitted varieties (3%). It delivers significantly more intensity, richness and length than the regular cuvée, with bold raspberries and black cherries on the nose, ample weight and concentration on the palate and a lingering finish marked by an intricate weave of silky tannins. It doesn't need much cellaring, but it should easily age for a couple of decades.

Made from a selection of old vines, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes ratchets up the intensity level over the regular cuvée. Of course, more isn't always more—things have to remain in balance—but in this case it certainly is. Cola, spice and black cherries mingle easily on the boldly scented nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich yet also lively, with a sense of vibrancy that ripples through the dense fruit and lingers on the velvety, cedar-tinged finish.

Darker in color and in flavor profile than the regular bottling, la Nerthe's 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes is 47% Grenache, 29% Syrah and 24% Mourvèdre, aged in a mix of foudres (60%) and new barriques (40%). Pungent, earthy and cedary up front, it adds notes of dark fruit (plums, black cherries), dried spices and cocoa as it evolves. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it finishes long and plush.

The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes is showing a bit more oak than the 2015 did last year, but I also tasted it a couple of months earlier in its evolution, so I expect the wine will continue to soak up the wood as it goes forward. Right now, the blend of 52% Grenache, 38% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre is toasty and cedary, marked by vanilla and baking spices. Some cola and dark berry notes emerge with airing, and it appears that the wine has the requisite weight and richness to carry the 28% new barriques used in its élevage. Give it another couple of years and drink it over the next two decades.

La Nerthe's 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes is a blend of approximately one-third each Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Eighty percent of the wine spent a year in new oak barrels, but much of that has been absorbed into the wine, and I see that my notes don't make reference to overt oak descriptors. Scents of raspberry and spice lead the way, followed by a firm, full-bodied palate. The tannins are present from front to back, but they're ripe and silky, lingering elegantly on the finish.