Chateau Palmer 2018

WEINWISSER: "40 % Merlot, 53 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 % Petit Verdot, 11 hl/ha, Produktion nur 6.000 12er-Kisten = 1/3 einer normalen Produktion. Kein Zweitwein Alter Ego. Undurchsichtiges Purpur mit schwarzer Mitte. Betörendes Parfüm nach reifen Pflaumen, Schattenmorellensaft und Cassisgelee. Im zweiten Ansatz duftige Veilchen, Wildkirschen und reife Waldhimbeeren. Am Gaumen mit seidiger Textur und perfekt ausgereiften, polierten Tanninen, cremig und elegant. Im aromatischen, katapultartigen Finale eine Explosion von Heidelbeeren, Lakritze und Nougatpralinen gepaart mit Eleganz und perfekter Präzision. Ein Meisterwerk aus Margaux, dass ich bisher noch nicht erlebt habe. Die Frage wird sein, wie sich dieser Wein entwickeln wird. Dieser wird, neben Pontet-Canet, einer der am heissesten diskutierten Weine sein!"

DECANTER: "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 flavours major on big bitter chocolate with touches of smoke and grilled cedar, lots of savoury 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."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Intensive Nuancen von schwarzen Waldbeeren, ein Hauch von Lakritze und Cassis, kandierte Veilchen, aber auch rote Konfitüre, etwas Nougat und Mandarinenzesten, ungemein verführerisches Bukett, ein Hauch von Zedernholz ist unterlegt. Saftig, schwarze Kirschen, Brombeerkonfit, präsente, reife Tannine, die lange tragen werden, extraktsüß und anhaftend, feiner Schokoladetouch im Abgang, bleibt minutenlang haften, einer der Weine des Jahrgangs, hat das Zeug zum Klassiker. (2025–2070)"

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Inky dark in color, the wine is fully opaque. On the palate you find an incredibly concentrated, fresh, vibrant, lively, opulent and refined, wine, which is a rare combination. Texturally, this is all silk and velvet hitting every nook and cranny of your taste receptors. The violet infused, earthy, deep perfume along with the layers of decadently ripe, sweet, lush fruits is impossible to resist. There is a gorgeous sense of purity that shines though on the finish making this even better. The finish with all its plum, dark cherry, cocoa and boysenberry exceeds the 60 second mark. This is a legendary vintage for Palmer. But give it time. It is easy to enjoy this in its youth, but its best days are in the future, so give it 12-15 years of age and enjoy it for at least 2 decades or more after that. Blended from 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, 14.3% ABV, .the yields were shockingly low at only 11 hectoliters per hectare -- conceding only one cluster per vine --the exact same yield Palmer experienced in 1961!"

JEB DUNNUCK: "While there's not much to go around, the 2018 Château Palmer is unquestionably a stunning bottle of wine. I certainly can't think of another Palmer coming close to this level of concentration (maybe the 2010 comes closest?). This blockbuster boasts a dense purple hue as well as a primordial bouquet of black cherries, mulberries, and blackberries intermixed with freshly crushed rocks, smoke tobacco, gravelly earth, lead pencil shavings, and burning embers. With full-bodied richness, a dense, stacked mid-palate, mouthcoating tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish, it's going to need 10-15 years to hit maturity, and as I wrote last year, will live for just about forever."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This dense wine is almost black in color. Offering rich tannins and luscious black fruits, it is ripe with both structure and depth. The concentration and thought-provoking intensity are impressive. Drink this wine from 2028."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2018 Palmer is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot. The wine has a 3.83 pH and 14.3% alcohol. Very deep garnet-purple in color, it explodes from the glass with atomic scents of blackberry preserves, crème de cassis and blueberry pie, plus suggestions of red roses, clove oil, dark chocolate and cedar chest with hints of Chinese five spice and menthol. The full-bodied palate is decadently styled, offering layer upon layer of black fruit preserves and exotic spices, framed by exquisitely plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing wonderfully fragrant and with epic length. It's an amazingly beautiful beast of a wine—one for the hedonists!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "Complex nose of black cherries, blackberries, dark chocolate and floral undertones with perfume-like character. It’s full-bodied with firm tannins. Elegant on the palate with structure. Savory and balanced, complex and layered. Long finish. Really lingers. This has really evolved into a beautiful white swan after a difficult debut from barrel! Tiny production. only 11 hectoliters per hectare. Try after 2024."

WINE SPECTATOR: " Remarkably concentrated, this nearly oozes fruit, with waves of cassis, plum reduction and warmed cherry preserves all carried by a dense yet polished and seamlessly embedded structure. A backdrop of violet, lilac and pastis adds to the enveloping feel, and yet with all that depth and concentration, this is a vibrant, pure expression, thanks in part to a riveting iron spine through the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2028 through 2040. 5,830 cases made."