| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Traditionally the finest wine of the Médoc after the first growths. The talented wine-maker is Thomas Duroux who always produces a pure, smooth and elegant wine with (for the Médoc) a high proportion of Merlot in the blend. Since 2014 the vineyard has been certified biodynamic and yields have been very low. There is also a fine second wine produced called Alter Ego de Palmer. The vineyard has an average age of 45 years.
In 2023 there will be 11000 cases of Palmer and 5500 of Alter Ego. The yield was 32 hl/ha. The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. Maturation in 50% new oak. Alcohol 13.9%
There's not much to say about the 2023 Palmer. It was exceptionally beautiful en primeur, and it is all that today. Black cherry, plum, gravel, incense, truffle, licorice and chocolate soar from the glass. Texturally gorgeous and riveting, Palmer delivers on all fronts in 2023. As always, Palmer is one of the most distinctive wines in Bordeaux. It's next to impossible to say we are on the Left Bank. (Drink between 2033-2063)
Director Thomas Duroux and his team elected to harvest late in pursuit of full maturity, beginning with the Merlot on September 11 and finishing the Cabernet Sauvignon on October 5 to produce a beautiful 2023 Palmer, redolent of cherries, wild berries, rose petals and violets. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, it's medium to full-bodied, plush and enveloping, with a cool core of fruit, succulent acids, ultra-refined tannins and a seamless, complete profile.
The 2023 Palmer was bottled in July 2026, the same time as Alter Ego. As you might expect, this is a little more control and precision on the nose by comparison, hints of peony and violet pinpointing its Margaux origin. Superb delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannins. Just a bit more backbone at the moment compared to its First Growth neighbor tasted directly before, a little more graphite comes through toward the finish. This Palmer coats the mouth and seems to be one of the most mineral-driven within the Margaux appellation. Excellent. (Drink between 2030-2065)
Alluring shiny purple in the glass. The nose here is oily, seductive and enticing with forest fruit, mint oil, star anise and clove. The palate is charged with ripe black fruit, framed but highly refined, ripe tannins. A touch hedonistic but with real substance underneath, this is a playful yet profound wine, building layers of blue and purple fruit together with sweet baking spice and taming cedar and menthol notes. Very long and expansive on the finish. Impressive and crowd-pleasing.
This is so perfumed, with aromas of dried flowers, sandalwood, black currants and blueberries. Medium- to full-bodied with tannins that melt into the wine and a beautiful texture that caresses every inch of the palate. Seductive and polished, with ripe fruit and citrus acidity. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 46% merlot and 4% petite verdot. Drinkable now, but this will give wonderful drinking pleasure in three or four years.
The 2023 Palmer is opaque purple-black in color. A little broody and subdued to start, notes of tar, damp soil, and crushed rocks soon give way to a core of fresh blackcurrants, wild blueberries, and Morello cherries with a touch of iron ore. The medium-bodied palate delivers bright, shimmery black and red berry flavors with a satiny texture and racy backbone, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot.
Far less reserved than it was during En Primeur, this has really expanded over ageing, showing cloves, slate, graphite, cassis, bilberry, cigar box, oyster shell, squid ink, fine tannins, stretching out through the palate. Gorgeous stuff, right at the top of the game in terms of capturing the effortless signature of 2023 in the best wines. 32hl/h yield, 55% new oak for ageing during the first year, with the wine then moving into 3,000l oak casks for the second year. One point upscore.
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. 32 hl/ha. Cask sample.
Gourmand again, like the Alter Ego, but more complexity and depth on the nose. Unctuosity on the mid palate but length and persistence as well. Lovely texture of tannin but definitively structured to age. (JL) 13.9%
Drink 2032 – 2050
The 2023 Palmer represents two-thirds of the crop this year, raised in barrel (50% new) until July, then racked into 3,000-liter foudres for another 12 months. My sample was representative of the new oak ratio. The nose is very intense, as normal, loaded with blackberry, boysenberry, violet and veins of blood orange in the background. Powerful, though not in the same way as the barnstorming 2022, it manages to retain focus. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grip on the entry. This is quite a deep Palmer with touches of licorice-tinged black fruit. It’s more opulent than almost all other Margaux wines this vintage, furnished with black pepper and allspice on the finish. It will require several years in bottle. The 2023 Palmer is one of the most long-term, serious wines on the Left Bank.
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.
More reserved and understated than the Alter Ego on the first nose, with touch of gumoke reduction, but it doesn't take long to understand that this Palmer is full of coiled energy and lift. A ton of graphite, crushed rocks, crushed roses and peonies come in waves of aromatics through the palate, along with clearly defined and sculpted blue and red fruits. There is spice too, and a sense of momentum. 32hl/h yield, 55% new oak for ageing during the first year; with the wine then moving in moves into 3000l oak casks for the second year.
