Stephen Brook: Straw-gold. Dumb nose, quite waxy, a slight cardboardy character that may be linked to SO2, ripe apricots. Lean, precise, with good attack; medium weight but highly concentrated with some dazzling acidity. Has purity and intensity and a hint of candied citrus as well as stone fruits. Lovely texture, discreet rather than flamboyant, with good but perhaps not exceptional length. But that confected quality does rather detract from what would otherwise be an exemplary wine from this vintage. 17.5

Andrew Jefford: Full, glowing yellow. Fresh, candied banana, but a little high-toned and wild, lacking classicism and aromatic assurance. Surely a sample and not a finished wine? Very sweet and candied, without the counterpoise of acidity and cream. Lots of banana and sweet pineapple gently teased along by a little soft tangerine acidity, but overall this is a puzzling effort. Its sugar will propel it through time, but the question mark of balance and purity of fruit is likely to hang over it. 13

Michael Schuster: Pale gold; very restrained, wax and faint citrus and wood aromas; elegantly balanced, moderately concentrated middleweight with a fresh, defining acidity; very sweet, quite rich, long, graceful, and complex in the mouth with a relative vitality that is lacking in many 2004s, and finishing with very good length. A good Climens, but without the scope of a really fine year. It may close down but will probably drink well early, and experience shows that this cru keeps exceptionally well even in lesser vintages. Now to 2025+. 18