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Tasting Notes
Ch. Palmer picked over a long window – from 25th September to 15th October, after the forecast rain. The crop was 30% smaller than normal, but what little they did produce is a true Grand Vin. It offers creamy, plummy fruit with a vibrant, old-school freshness. It shows the purity, crunch and moreish acidity of the vintage, yet with a concentration that is doubtless thanks to their old vines and low yields (22hl/ha, around 30% less than normal). They chaptalised half a degree to bring the wine up to 13.5%, but it’s beautifully integrated, with sufficient fruit to back up the oak (70% new), building to a smoke-scented finish. The wine is currently in barrique, but 80% will be transferred to foudre for the second year of its maturation. Blend: 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot
Critic Scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The Grand Vin 2021 Château Palmer checks in as 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot. The élevage here is unique in that the wine spends the first year in barrel (60% new) before having one-third moved into foudre for the following 6 months. The 2021 is an unquestionable success, revealing a dense purple hue as well as a powerful bouquet of ripe black and blue fruits supported by notes of tobacco, graphite, and chocolate. This medium to full-bodied Margaux has ripe, velvety tannins, a great mid-palate, and outstanding length. It's going to have plenty of up-front appeal yet still evolve for two decades.
The 2021 Palmer is one of the truly epic wines of the year. It's not the 2018, but it is in that vein, albeit at 13% in alcohol. There's tremendous richness and sheer extract here. Blackberry jam, chocolate, smoke, licorice, lavender and mocha notes possess remarkable primary intensity, more like a young must than a wine with a few months of age. Readers will find a Palmer that offers a compelling mix of opulence and energy.
The 2021 Palmer has a discrete bouquet that demands patience. This does not race out of the blocks, rather it unfurls with subtle graphite scents, blackberry, hints of cassis, plus some of the briny aromas that I noticed on the Alter Ego. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins that frame the cedar and graphite infused black fruit. Quite strict for a Palmer, yet fresh with a cerebral, saline finish that is almost Pauillac-like in style despite the majority from old Merlot vines that are situated on some of its finest gravel terroirs. Very long, very suave on the finish. Superb.
About the producer
Ch. Palmer is one of the finest producers in Bordeaux. The Margaux Third Growth is known for its significant plantings of old-vine Merlot, typically representing a large portion of the blend and responsible for the generous and supple style Ch. Palmer is known for.