2017 Charmes Chambertin

The 2017 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has quite an intense bouquet of dark berry fruit, undergrowth, smoke and peony scents, displaying fine definition, if just missing a little complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip on the entry. Quite primal, like many of these Charmes-Chambertin, but it is missing a bit of flair toward the finish, which needs more elegance and refinement. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

The 2017 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is round, supple and quite giving. Floral overtones add perfume to a core of blue and purplish berry fruit, with suggestions of spice, lavender and menthol that develop later. Voluptuous and racy, with gentle contours, the 2017 Charmes will drink well with minimal cellaring, although, of course, it needs several years in bottle to be at its very best.