Château Palmer 2018

Beautifully rich even on the nose, this makes you smile from the first moment. On the palate things are intense and concentrated, as you might expect with an 11hl/ha yield (mildew-related). Upfront flavors major on big bitter chocolate with touches of smoke and grilled cedar, lots of savory fruits and touches of reduction. Extremely impressive how layered and textured it is, though it really needs decades to reveal itself. There is the seductive floral edge of Palmer as it opens in the glass, but this is a muscular wine that needs time. 79% new oak. No Alter Ego in 2018. Bottled July 2020 after one year in barrel and a second year in larger Stockinger barrels for 20% of the crop to soften the oak influence. It's extremely hard for top estates to deliver consistency and innovation over decades; it really is like a sports team in that way, and this is a standout success in what was an extremely challenging year for Palmer. -Jane Anson

Palmer's bouquet is marked by finesse, by a multitude of nuances which are revealed little by little. Lots of complexity and depth where an inviting fruity freshness emerges. On the palate the wine positions itself from the outset, with an impressive ability to establish itself as a quiet force. It has substance, confidence and race thanks to a sharp acid structure well in phase with the precise tannins which are perfectly integrated and which offer exceptional power. Lingering, intense, infinite finish. A very great Palmer and one of the greatest successes of the vintage. 2024-2054.

2018 is an unforgettable vintage in the entire history of Palmer. The general director Thomas told me that the average production was only 11hl/ha, almost 1.5 bunch per vine. To achieve ideal grapes, his team made all their efforts to remove every dried grain touched by mildew. I can't assume how difficult they had to encounter during the harvest. Palmer 2018 is british with concentrated mulberry, sweet vanilla, and hints of hazelnut, like a piece of hand-made ice cream. I am deeply astonished by its incredible purity and freshness on the entry, the lacy tannins are like silk, which create infinite details and delicate lines inside the concentrated mouth feeling. Sometimes, I was thinking; maybe because of the unimaginably severe selection, Palmer 2018 can combine essential concentration and perfect purity at the same time. It is exactly like what the ancient Chinese once said When You Lose Something, You Win Something.

Black color. Nose with a celestial character! Fine, fresh and yet very ripe and even creamy. Notes evoking the right bank. When stirred, it takes on a more wonderful character, with notes of cream, raspberry and ink. It looks like a perfume essence. Ultra meticulous on the attack, very smooth in development, very well constructed, very controlled too, the wine becomes brilliant and expressive between the middle and the finish. It finishes subtle, fragrant and at this age different from all other Palmer vintages and almost irrational. Could see its grade rise at the end of breeding. Blend: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot.