There is a buttery character that dominates the nose where background lactic nuances detract from the purity of the very ripe white and yellow orchard fruit aromas. There is outstanding concentration, richness, size, weight and power to the medium weight plus flavors that possess an abundance of palate staining dry extract, all wrapped in a long and reasonably well-balanced finish. Still, along with the 2003, this is not particularly elegant, at least not in the rarified circles of refinement that this wine typically travels in. While by no means a poor wine, it's not really for me. I would advise holding this for a few more years first because as the tasting note suggests, this is somewhat awkward today.

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(bottled in April; 13.8% alcohol, compared to 13% to 13.3% for the rest of the range in 2005) Explosively ripe fruit aromas of apricot and pineapple currently dominate underlying minerality on the nose. Silky, rich and powerful, with the pineapple and peach flavors framed by harmonious ripe acidity. A wine with superb stuffing and back-end breadth, finishing with palate-saturating mineral and dusty stone flavors. This boasts impressive aging potential, but the Charmes is at least as impressive in the context of the year. Just 10 barrels of this wine were produced, compared to 18 in 2004.

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Sweet and perfumed, then full, rich p- so rich it was almost formless, or at least the charge of fruit fully distracted me from the structure. Thick, sweet and heady – very much Grand Cru weight.

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