Creamy textured plum and raspberry sauce notes glide through, flecked with black tea and pastis flavors and framed by a subtle apple wood hint. Flattering in feel, but shows latent cut and drive, so there's no rush. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Best from 2020 through 2034. 12,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported.

Blackberry and black-cherry flavors are opulent in this rich, ample-bodied wine. It's intensely fleshy in fruit character but muted by hints of earth and savory spice as well as a whisper of violet. Ripe, finely woven tannins accentuate the immediate appeal but should structure the wine well through 2028.

La Nerthe's 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape is a blend of 37% Grenache, 29% Syrah, 25% Mourvèdre, 7% Cinsault and 2% others. Aged in a substantial portion of new oak (20%), it shows hints of toast and vanilla on the nose, then plenty of concentrated cherry fruit on the palate. It's full-bodied and plush in texture, making it approachable now, but there's enough tannic backbone and length on the finish to think it will drink well for more than a decade. Drink Date: 2018-2030.