1928 Palmer

Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the 1928 Château Palmer was a Margaux in its dotage, but a sublime example of this legendary vintage. The bouquet is exquisite: not powerful or commanding, instead elegant and refined with vestiges of mulberry and red plum fruit, cedar, juniper berries and rusty piping. The palate is medium-bodied and very well balanced, clearly a wine that once upon a time possessed real backbone throughout its long career. Now it is almost Burgundy-like towards the harmonious finish, thanks to the extant fineness of its tannins. Edginess is imparted by veins of mandarin that interlace the austere, delightful finish, but what really completes this wines is its profound length, the sustain in the mouth. It had embarked upon its downward slope, yet continues to offer so much drinking pleasure. Tasted May 2015.