Chateau Palmer 2021

WEINWISSER: "56 % Merlot, 41 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 % Petit Verdot, 13,5 Vol.-%, 55 % Grand Vin. Dicht verwobenes Bouquet, reife Alpenheidelbeere, Lakritze und parfümierter Pfeifentabak. Im zweiten Ansatz Schokopralinen, Veilchenstrauß und Holundergelee. Am sublimen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, berauschender Extraktfülle, magischer Rasse, stützendem Tanningerüst, kraftvoll strukturiert und trotzdem elegant bleibend. Im konzentrierten Finale explodiert der Margaux förmlich, blaue Beeren, Sandelholz und fein sandige Adstringenz. Ein Gänsehaut-Margaux!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "There’s brightness and clarity to this young wine, with blackcurrants, violets, lavender and blackberries. Medium body with a sold core of fruit and a long, fresh finish. Fine tannins. Bright acidity. 56% merlot, 3% petit verdot and 41% cabernet sauvignon. From biodynamically grown grapes."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The late-ripening, low-yielding vintage has delivered a beautifully balanced wine of striking intensity in the 2021 Palmer. Unwinding in the glass with complex aromas of blackberries, exotic spices, licorice, violets and burning embers, it's full-bodied, layered and enveloping, with a deep, concentrated core of fruit, ripe tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, expansive finish. If recent vintages of Palmer have set new records in their power and richness, the 2021 marks a return to the classical proportions of the 1990s—with all the additional concentration and precision that Thomas Douroux's pioneering viticulture and thoughtful winemaking have brought to the equation at this address in the interim. The grand vin is a blend of 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, picked between September 24 and October 15. Tasted twice."

DECANTER: "Perfumed chocolate cherries with bramble tones on the nose. This has a rich and round mouthfeel, clear structure on show but also with life and lift - a sweet, bright cherry element given definition by strict but fine tannins. You have a really beautiful, delicate opening, quite wide and airy then the depth arrives on the Mid-palate, with chalky tannins and red fruits coming into play before the spiced liquorice enters on the finish. The texture is striking, velvet-like with layers and a sublime verticality of freshness and minty aeration. It may be less glamourous and overtly plush and seductive than bigger previous vintages but I love the classicism on show - a focus, precision and sophistication. Superb winemaking from Thomas Duroux who successfully navigated the difficult vintage conditions in 2021."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "95–97. Barrel Sample. The wine is dense with warm tannins supporting black fruit tones and acidity. Juicy and spicy, the wine's Cabernet Sauvignon shows so well with black currant flavors. It is fresh and it obviously it will age well."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deep ruby, garnet in color, the wine shows off its flowers, cocoa, black plum, and dark cherry, with a Cuban cigar note coming in at the end of the nose with ease. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, fresh, sweet, poised, and vibrant. The wine offers a lush, dark chocolate, plum, currant, and coffee bean tinted mid-palate in the vibrant, lifted finish. The wine is blend of 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. 13.4% ABV, pH 3.72. Yields were low at a paltry 22 hectoliters per hectare. 55% of the harvest was placed into the Grand Vin. Picking took place September 24 – October 14. Drink from 2028-2055."

JEB DUNNUCK: "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."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Würzig, mit Rosmarin und Koriander unterlegte dunkle Beerenfrucht, schwarze Kirschen, zart nach Lakritze, individuelles Bukett. Komplex, straff, frische Säurestruktur, mineralisch-salzig, dezente Fruchtsüße im Nachhall, engmaschig, wird von Flaschenreife profitieren, braucht noch seine Zeit. Ausgebaut ein Jahr im Barrique, ein Jahr im 3.000 Liter fassenden Stockinger Fass aus Österreich."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Palmer needs a little swirling and coaxing to unlock evocative plum preserves, black cherry compote, and star anise notes, followed by earthy nuances of tilled soil, black truffles, and cracked black pepper with a touch of wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers beautifully soft, rounded tannins and lots of juicy fruit in the mid-palate, supported by harmonious acidity, finishing with beautiful purity and perfume. The blend is 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot. 65% of the crop will be aged new barriques for the first year, then transferred to foudres for the second year."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot. 22 hl/ha. Cask sample. Less exuberance but Palmer identity intact, the old-vine Merlot to the fore. Dense and full with a generosity of fruit. Silky texture on attack, the tannins present but controlled. Slightly dry finish with a bit of chew. Should improve further with élevage. (JL)"