2018 Château Palmer

A year that has already passed into Palmer legend. An extremely stressful growing season, where mildew brought the yield right down to 11hl/h, and no Alter Ego was produced. What the team produced with the rest is therefore even more extraordinary. No question that this is concentrated and muscular, and needs time in bottle, but even at this early stage the richness and depth of display is clear. Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, cassis and damson fruits studded with chocolate shavings, grilled cedar, slate and gunsmoke, all delivered with precision and laser impact. The violet and peony florals are Palmer are there, but they just give a hint of themselves right now, highlighting the depths that are to come with this wine over time. A standout success. 79% new oak. Bottled July 2020, after one year in barrel, second year in larger sized Stockinger barrels for 20% of the crop to soften oak influence.

The 2018 Palmer is a legend in the making. I had an inkling out of barrel, but such was its intensity that I wanted to assess it in bottle before I felt confident in saying so, because this could have gone either way. It storms from the glass with black fruit and floral scents, crushed violet and incense that knock your senses sideways while retaining brilliant delineation and focus. The palate is not quite as bold and brassy as when I tasted it from barrel, though I can vouchsafe that among over 20 vintages of Palmer that I have tasted at this stage, this is easily the most extroverted and powerful, displaying a kind of millefeuille of intense black fruit counterpoised by a razor-sharp line of acidity. This audacious Palmer was still revving its engines 48 hours after opening. There will never be another Palmer like this, sui generis . It was a massive risk. But by throwing caution to the wind, something extraordinary was born.