Palmer 2015

Luscious without shouting, expanding slowly, surely and confidently through the palate, silky tannins, satin and pumice stone, great appellation signature with its floral pillow and savoury spiced raspberry and crushed rocks. 60% new oak. Thomas Duroux director. Harvest September 22 to October 7. At this point the estate was fully in conversion, working 100% organically and biodynamically.

Tasted blind. Dark, blackish crimson. Too dense to have much aroma? Sweet start and very dramatic. Luscious and attention-grabbing. Alcohol makes its presence felt but overall in balance and pretty gorgeous.Drink 2024-2042

The nose has a fragrant floral freshness the palate brooding richness with the black fruits backed by chocolate and coffee. The tannins are fine the mid palate supple but there is balance with fresher black fruits give a lighter feel on the back palate the finish is long lighter and elegant.

Floral, appealing and remarkably loose knit and open at this young age, this is a veryappealing rather than a profound Palmer, with succulent red berry fruit, notes of tobacco andcedar wood and good underlying structure. Needs to put on a bit more weight in barrel.Drink: 2022-30

While the second wine from this esteemed Château, Alter Ego, focusses on fruit ripeness, Grand Vin Palmer focusses onphenolic ripeness and this is clearly evident in this elite wine. There is marked concentration, depth and intensity makingthis Nureyev to Alter Ego’s Fonteyn. There is sublime freshness on the nose of this wine. Winemaker Thomas Durouxexplained that his careful biodynamic approach might have slowed this wine down and unlike many others which seemfairly precocious and eager, this is a wine stuffed with active energy as opposed to layered with passive energy. I cannotagree enough with this ascertain because this is a Palmer with brooding power and a very long life ahead of it.

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. 2025 - 2050

The 2015 Palmer is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot with around 14.1% alcohol, a little higher than usual. It is much more backward on the nose than the Alter Ego and demanded coaxing from the glass, eventually revealing scents of blackberry, cassis, boysenberry, crushed stone and a touch of vanilla pod, beautifully defined with a brooding sense of power. I suspect that this will be no shy and retiring violet when it reaches full maturity. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins that caress the mouth on the entry, and it is a voluminous Palmer, not heavy but multifaceted. Black fruits are laced with oyster shell, hints of allspice and crushed stone, delivering a crescendo toward an intense finish that this château has specialized in under winemaker Thomas Duroux. It will require at least a decade in bottle, but I probably agree with the estate that it will last many decades. Superb...but only for the patient. Anticipated maturity: 2025 - 2065.

The 2015 Palmer is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot matured into up to 70% new oak. The official start of the picking was 22 September, finishing on the 7 October with the Petit Verdot and the Cabernet Sauvignon. This has a wonderful bouquet with layers of dark cherry, boysenberry, a faint hint of dark chocolate and minerals. There is superb delineation here. The palate is medium-bodied, but this constitutes a decidedly more structured Palmer than I have encountered in recent years, perhaps a little more masculine due to the slightly higher Cabernet content. This is a classic Palmer made by winemaker Thomas Duroux, symmetrical in some way, poised and effortless on the finish. Those who like the more showy Palmer might not warm to this 2015, but this has real class and sophistication, a Palmer that will repay those with the nous to cellar it for 10-15 years. Expect it to reside at the top of my banded score. Drink 2027-2060.

A wine with incredible character and style with black ink and blueberry aromas and flavors. Full body, extremely fresh and structured with riffing tannins. It is muscular and powerful. White pepper, sea salt, mineral, stone character. A wine built for the long term. The making of the new 1961.

A really massive step above Alter Ego on the nose. Really fresh and polished. Lovely bramble fruit. Not that dense but really complete and beautifully balanced. Silky tannins. Real drive and lift towards the end. Very Margaux. 14.1%Drink 2023-2040