Winemaker's Notes
A deep red with profound
purple hints. Intense aromas with rich ripe fruits undertones, spices and
various black colored berries soaked in alcohol. Well balanced on the palate
with expressive hints of fig, cocoa and leather. The finish is long, complex
and we note a great finesse of tannins.
Grenache 43 %, Syrah
36 %, Mourvèdre 21%.
Critical Acclaim
"The Chateauneuf
du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes was one of the first luxury cuvees of old vines made
in Chateauneuf du Pape, the first vintage originating in 1972. There are
usually anywhere from 500 to 1000 cases of it. A real stunner, and just being released
on the market, is the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Cadettes. A
magnificent wine with deep ruby/purple color, a wonderfully sweet focus,
aromatics of blue and black fruits intermixed with graphite, a hint of
charcoal, and some earth and subtle Provencal herbs, the wine is full-bodied
and has great depth, richness, power, and stature. There is plenty of tannin to
shed, as one might expect from a top 2005, but it is well-integrated, and there
is more than enough concentration and fruit to balance out the wine’s
structural profile. Give this wine 5 years of bottle age and drink it over the
following three decades. This is a monumental example of Chateauneuf du Pape."
– 96 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
"This delivers
attention-grabbing mocha and cocoa aromas and offers a lush palate of juicy
plum sauce, raspberry and boysenberry fruit, with licorice snap and graphite.
The long, driven finish is really fine-grained, and this gains steam as it
moves along. Drink now through 2025." – 95 Wine Spectator
"Inky ruby.
Exotic, opulent aromas of dark berry and cherry preserves, licorice, incense
and potpourri. Extremely rich but at the same time lithe and precise, offering
sweet, deep raspberry, blueberry and candied floral flavors, plus strong
mineral lift. Tannins gain strength on the finish, which leaves behind a wide
swath of sweet dark fruits." – 94 International
Wine Cellar
"From a single
vineyard originally planted in 1893, La Nerthe's Cuvée des Cadettes is always
matured in new barriques. In 2005, the result is a toasty, almond-scented
accent to deep plum and black cherry fruit. It's deceptively sweet and supple
upfront, then gains tannic intensity on the finish. Drink 2012–2020." – 92
Wine Enthusiast
