I unfortunately wasn't able to taste any 2019s, but both 2018s showed beautifully. I loved the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape, which certainly makes the most of the vintage. Revealing a ruby hue as well as textbook, traditional notes of sweet kirsch and darker currants, peppery garrigue, saddle leather, and herbes de Provence, it's medium-bodied, has a supple, elegant texture, ripe tannins, and the depth and balance to keep for 15 years or more. It's beautifully done. The blend of the traditional cuvée is 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre, and the rest Cinsault, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Picpoul, Vaccarèse, and Counoise, brought up mostly in ancient foudre.

Perfumed, elegant style, with red tea and incense notes leading the way followed by blood orange and raspberry coulis flavors that stretch out nicely through the finish, which opens steadily as it airs. Drink now through 2033. 1,000 cases made, 400 cases imported.

Shimmering ruby-red. Vibrant raspberry, cherry and floral aromas are complemented by suggestions of garrigue and baking spices. Juicy, palate-coating red and blue fruit and candied lavender flavors smoothly blend depth and energy. Shows fine definition and strong persistence on an impressively long, floral- and spice-driven finish framed by smooth, slowly building tannins.

Decadently ripe, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape combines hints of garrigue, raspberries, black cherries and dark chocolate on the nose. In the mouth, it's full-bodied, plush and creamy textured without coming across as heavy, finishing supple and long. While some may find it over the top, for me, it retains a sense of balance in the tension between the sense of ripeness and its delicate herbal nuances. It won't be terribly long-lived but should drink at its delicious best over the next 6-8 years.