Palmer

Château Palmer has always transcended fashions and trends to instead tap into a single voice: its terroir. The finesse and elegance of its Margaux roots, the softness and sophistication of its texture, the nobility of leather and the gentle caress of velvet. An almost identical blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, rounded off with a touch of Petit Verdot, forge the Palmer style. The aromas offer an immersion in a bouquet of flowers, fruit, and spices, enveloped in a fleshy, generous structure.

2014

Wine Advocate 94: The 2014 Palmer builds on the promise that it showed in barrel. It is clearly a more understated and nuanced Palmer from winemaker Thomas Duroux this year, but a Margaux with exquisite delineation and precision, hints of blackberry, boysenberry and a touch of pencil box. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin. It feels supple and lithe in the mouth. It will not have the depth and power of the subsequent 2015 Palmer, yet the "flow" is very sensual and the Merlot (45% of the blend) just lends it roundness and a caressing texture. What a beautiful Margaux and I bet it will be deceptively long-lived.

James Suckling 95: This really develops wonderfully in the glass starting out earthy with mushrooms and spices and then turns to dark fruit such as blackberries and blackcurrants. Full-bodied, very intense and minerally. Firm and silky tannins and a long, long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes.

Vinous 93: The 2014 Palmer has an attractive bouquet with red berry fruit, cedar, undergrowth and veins of blue fruit. This opens nicely in the glass, but I certainly would not classify it as one of Palmer's more opulent aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with powdery tannins, mainly red fruit intermixed with white pepper, cedar and orange rind. Linear in style, this is a Palmer that doesn't want to show off and remains within the limitations of the growing season. It should offer another 20 years of drinking pleasure.

Decanter 97: Quite vivid aromatics on the nose, deep and heady, blue fruit, peppercorns, liquorice and cocoa powder. Fruity and really quite dense in terms of chewiness and flavour. Stands out in the line up for being forward, lifted, intense and powerful, grippy and alive. Excellent presentation and character. Feels youthful and fresh, but it's the texture and sense of weight and the long finish that really makes this wine stand out. A great showing for Palmer with a long life ahead.

Wine Enthusiast 97: It's easy to call this a beautiful wine—it's dense and lush, with great layers of black fruit and acidity. The first fully biodynamic vintage from this estate has certainly yielded impressive ripe fruit, with structured tannins and dark berry flavors that linger long. It has enormous potential, certainly not be ready to drink before 2027.

2015

Wine Advocate 98: Bottled relatively late in mid-September 2017, the 2015 Palmer is a blend of 44% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon with a small portion of Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it offers vibrant red currants, black cherries, wild blueberries, earth and mineral characteristics to begin, with slowly unfurling floral notes of violets and dried roses plus compelling baker’s chocolate and fragrant earth layers. Medium to full-bodied, generously fruited and possessing firm yet very, very fine-grained, mind-blowingly ripe tannins, the multifaceted palate features something of a skip in its step in terms of freshness, while it goes beguilingly earthy on the finish with some mineral hints. Very classy, elegant and sophisticated, this vintage is downright regal in its juxtaposition between poise and audaciousness. Think 2005 Palmer with a tick more fruit intensity, perfume and passion.

James Suckling 100: I am breathless with the dark-berry, lavender and burnt-orange aromas. Some salt. Just so formidable and deep. Stunningly sexy on the palate with a density and power, yet it leaves things so clean and bright. You want to drink it and enjoy it now, but it has the structure to last forever. Drink in 2022.

Vinous 97: The 2015 Palmer has an opulent, high-toned bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and cassis fruit. This is typical Palmer in many ways, though you could well argue that it's not as nuanced as the Rauzan-Ségla. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky texture, stunning balance and poise with white pepper-tinged black fruit, gentle grip and a very persistent and satisfying finish. Bon vin!

Decanter 97: Six months from the last time I tasted this wine and it is a little more closed than it was, as the 2015s begin to retreat inwards for a few years. Still no mistaking the quality of this vintage, and it remains a brilliant Palmer, that is equal to the greatest years. Still extremely young, with rich, deep textured fruits, tons of blueberry and raspberry fruits, all expressed with clarity and purity. Grilled cedar, liquorice and crushed stone minerality. Harvest September 22 to October 7. At this point the estate was fully in conversion for certification, working 100% organically and biodynamically.

2017

Wine Advocate 97+: A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Palmer gives a very serious nose of pronounced blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and blackberry preserves with hints of cedar chest, pencil shavings, violets, dark chocolate and star anise plus exotic wafts of sandalwood and cassia. Medium-bodied, the palate features fantastically vibrant, crunchy black fruits with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced. It will need a good 5-7 years to really blossom with all those tightly wound nuances, but it should be a stunner!

James Suckling 98: Very perfumed and subtle with dried flowers and citrus, as well as blue fruit. Full-bodied with wonderfully diffused, integrated tannins that just run over the edges of the wine. It’s extremely polished and very, very long. Fresh and bright. Energetic finish. A thoughtful wine. A blend of 54% merlot, 42% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot. Drink after 2023.

Decanter 94: The second vintage fermented completely with wild yeasts, this shows beautiful Margaux elegance: refined and soft textured yet with dark, plummy fruit on the nose and a hint of soy sauce on the finish. There’s a definite stylistic evolution compared to the pre-biodynamic era wines.

2021

Wine Advocate 95+: The 2021 Palmer has turned out beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with expressive aromas of blackberries, cherries and mulberries mingled with notions of iris, dark chocolate and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with an enveloping core of succulent fruit framed by rich, sweet tannins, it concludes with a long, expansive finish. It's a blend of 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot.

James Suckling 95: This wine is very fragrant, with blackberries, blueberries, black olives, bark and forest floor as well as some minerals and stone. Medium-bodied with racy and firm tannins that build to a fresh and steely finish. Needs three to five years to soften. You can almost taste the skins. Reminiscent of the 1995 Palmer but with more precision. 56% merlot, 41% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot. Best after 2028.

Wine Enthusiast 97: This juicy wine has aromatic black fruits that give way to cinammon spices and intense acidity along with dark, plush blackberry fruits. Wait to drink this impressive wine until 2028. Biodynamic. 

2023

James Suckling 97-98: The vivid density and structure to this is really captivating, with pure blackcurrant character. Full-bodied with very silky, refined and ultra-fine tannins and an exquisite finish. Caresses every inch of the palate. It's seems like it will be large and overpowering, but it's actually ethereal and cloud-like. The tannin quality is so refined and, in a way, weightless. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 46% merlot and 4% petit verdot.