Deeper and more concentrated than the 2018, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape is as impressive as I can remember this cuvée ever being. Dark in hue, overflowing with dark fruit, full-bodied and velvety in texture, with a long, licorice-tinged finish, this looks very promising.

The 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape features those exotic, stone fruit (apricot?) notes that super ripe Grenache can develop, matching them with intense kirsch scents and hints of cracker crumbs and dark chocolate. It's full-bodied and concentrated, intense and flavorful on the supple palate, ending with just a bit of peppery warmth—it's difficult to say if this is spice- or alcohol-induced, and it could legitimately be a combination of the two. Any way you you look at it, this is a voluptuous, seductive wine to drink over the next 6–7 years.

Bottled at the end of March, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape seems fully recovered, offering notes of ripe cherries, cola and tree bark. It's full-bodied, supple and silky on the long finish. Simply a joy to drink and sure to be relatively affordable, it's the sort of Chateauneuf du Pape that will appeal to newbies and collectors alike.

The lush, fruit-forward 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape is a good introduction to the domaine's Grenache-dominated style, boasting copious amounts of cherry and apricot fruit. It's full-bodied and velvety in texture, with attractive hints of licorice emerging on the long finish. With its slightly more prominent acidity, it should drink well for longer than the 2015 or 2017 versions.

The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape is an intense, powerful wine that shows a touch of alcoholic warmth on the finish. That said, it's still a fine effort, bursting with scents of garrigue and loaded with red plums. The tannins are supple, so there's no need to age this one.