A red berry liqueur nose complements beautifully the excellent quality and fine material of the generous, rich, sweet and full-bodied flavors that possess excellent detail despite the robust character of the mid-palate, all wrapped in a strikingly complex, dusty, mouth coating and amazingly long finish. This is a seriously impressive effort and a legitimate candidate for the Charmes of the vintage; note however that patience will be required. Note that in contrast to the Lavaut, this is actually less powerful but more elegant, which is the exact opposite of this duo in 2007.

Bernard Dugat relates that his 2006 Charmes-Chambertin – constituting one-third Mazoyeres, and the rest vines near the Morey line – largely escaped hail. A sweet concentrate of black cherry mingles with game and peat. Firmness of tannin combined with notes chalky and charred notes make for a relatively spare overall impression, considering the initially sweet fruit impression. Heliotrope and vanilla scents waft throughout, adding allure. The balance between density and buoyancy here is uncanny and the wine's sheer length prodigious, although this is embryonic compared with most of its stable mates. Be prepared to give it 3-4 years in bottle before a clearer picture of its full potential emerges, although it will certainly last well for more than a decade. When one returns to it after the more powerful Mazoyeres, this Charmes' incipient charms become more evident. - David Schildknecht