As with the straight ’09 Châteauneuf, the 2009 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Cadettes delivers screamingly good aromatics as well as a rich, meaty, balanced profile. A vineyard selection of old vines and a blend of 37% Syrah, 32% Grenache, and 31% Mourvèdre that’s all aged in new French oak, it shows only hints of the oak with copious amounts of raspberry, blackberry, graphite, spice, charred earth, licorice, and serious minerality on the nose. Beautifully fruited and more concentrated than the regular cuvee, this full-bodied, structured Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a polish, silky texture, perfect balance, and a brilliant finish. Certainly one of the top wines in the vintage, this beauty should be given a handful of years in the cellar, and then consumed over the following two decades.

The brilliant 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes reveals only a touch of oak in its surprisingly soft and evolved personality. A classic blend of 37% Syrah, 32% Grenache and 31% Mourvedre, it offers up copious blueberry and blackberry fruit notes intertwined with hints of graphite, ink, licorice and truffles. With super intensity, wonderful opulence and seamlessly integrated tannin, acid and alcohol, this gorgeous 2009 can be enjoyed now and over the next 15-20 years. -Robert Parker

Very showy, with lots of toasted anise, blueberry coulis, currant paste and plum pâte de fruit notes. The saturated finish has ample tannins, but they're very polished and thoroughly embedded in the fruit. A hedonist's delight, though this may be burning the candle at both ends, so don't bet on long-term cellaring. Best from 2013 through 2022. 200 cases imported. –JM