Château Palmer 2016 [owc 6]

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2016 Palmer is a blend of 47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. Opaque garnet-purple colored, it slowly glides out of the glass with compelling notes of blueberry compote, warm cassis and kirsch with emerging hints of violets, cigar box, black tea, sandalwood and Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, wonderfully rich, concentrated and packed with latent energy, the palate literally grows in the mouth, revealing layer upon layer of black, blue and red fruits and tons of floral sparks, framed by super ripe, incredibly fine-grained tannins and finishing with epic length. It’s a wine that makes you wanna drape yourself languidly over a chaise lounge, glass of Palmer in hand, sighing with deep satisfaction, “This is so wonderfully Palmer.”

“We had 2009 and 2010, we’ll have 2015 and 2016,” Palmer’s CEO Thomas Duroux told me, alluding to the comparisons being made throughout Bordeaux to the last great pair of vintages. “But of course,” he added, “they are two very different expressions.” There was some mildew pressure at Palmer in 2016, which is a larger problem at organic/biodynamically managed estates such as this. Subsequently, the crop was a relatively modest 29 hectoliters per hectare, down from an average of say 35 hectoliters per hectare. “It was a milder summer, not too much heat,” Duroux further observed. “So there was not too much alcohol this year and nothing jammy.”

Andreas Larsson - Tasted

Anthocyanes - Yohan Castaing

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

VertdeVin

The nose is fruity, juicy, beautifully elegant, complex and offers complexity. This wine should be decanted. Do not hesitate to smell hit from time to time to notice its slow and delicate evolution. It reveals notes of Boysen berry, fleshy wild strawberry and more slightly ripe cassis, raspberry/ripe berries associated with fine hints of toasted, chocolate, discreet hints of pepper, flowers, spices as well as a very discreet hint of minerality and nutmeg. The palate is fruity, elegant and offers fleshiness, tension, a? beautiful ?definition, a beautiful precision, a small richness/concentration, power (but all in delicacy), a very beautiful structure, a beautiful finesse, straightness, a beautiful fullness as well as a very discreet firmness. On? the ? palate ?this wine expresses notes of fleshy blackberry, crushed cassis and more slightly juicy/fresh red berries associated with touches of chocolate,? liquorice , flowers as well as discreet hints of strawberry, caramelization and an imperceptible hint of Bourbon vanilla. Tannins are elegant, fine and structured. Very discreet chews on the finish. Beautiful juiciness and gourmandize on the finish. A beautiful success!

Falstaff

Wine Enthusiast