2017 Palmer

This is a sexy and well-formed 2017 with very velvety and suave tannins that go on for minutes. Full-bodied, soft and round. Extremely long and last for minutes.

One of the more inky, black-colored wines in the vintage, the 2017 Palmer is a powerhouse effort that has a big, rich, chewy style as well as tons of chocolaty black and blue fruits, graphite, licorice, truffle, and hints of violets. A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, harvested between the 20th and 29th of September, it has a powerful, full-bodied style, building tannin, and is impeccably balanced. It’s one of the vintage’s most promising efforts but is going to need 3-4 years of cellaring. It should last for two decades or more.

It's very interesting to watch a 'super-second' risk scaling back the muscular attributes of its wine. The key, says director Thomas Duroux, was building the blend carefully and using the press wines to preserve the mid-palate (12% press in this wine, around the same as the 2015). It's less powerful and concentrated than the last few vintages, and yet the wine feels sculpted and sewn into place. The fine tannins are extremely clear and precise, and there's a purity of fruit expression that gives an overwhelming initial impression. The aromatics are really striking, offering an abundance of violet notes on the nose with huge finesse. It just gets better and better in the mouth,, and the tannins do that slow-build thing that is so disarming. This has clear ageing potential. Very low SO2 use for the past few years, in keeping with their biodynamic principles. Just one plot of Petit Verdot for the grand vin was hit by frost. Harvested 20-29 September. 11,000 cases of Palmer, representing 55% of the crop.