Chateau Palmer 2010

It resembles Château Margaux like a peach resembles an almond. Both have similar parentage. Yet in one it’s the kernel that tastes, in the other it’s the flesh. It has flesh and fire, but also freshness, juiciness, breed, energy, aromatics, and an incredible length. Whether such an exceptional wine has to cost over three hundred euros is a question we do not wish to discuss here. The fact is, this extraordinary wine has few equals in the world.

This is riveting, with terrific tarry grip coursing underneath layers of smoldering bay leaf, warm plum confiture, freshly brewed espresso, dark cassis and well-steeped black tea. The charcoal and tobacco backdrop is gorgeous and should move forward through the core of fruit over time. Be patient though, as the structure is ironclad. This will really be electric once mature. Best from 2017 through 2040. 8,500 cases made.

One of the great years of Bordeaux is now 10 years old and shows why this is such an unusual vintage, with remarkable depth of structure and muscular concentration. In fact, I’m extending the drinking window from the last time I tasted this, as there is such a pulse of life and grip with no sign of slowing down. The initial layers are starting to be peeled back, but it still retains primary black and blue fruits with plenty of flesh, alongside baked earth, loads of liquorice and dark chocolate, a grippy tannic frame, fresh acidities and a serious attitude. Brilliant stuff that is clearly going to power on for decades. Harvest from September 22 to October 20.

A purity of fruit here with plum and dark chocolate undertones. Spices and treacle tart as well. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Very fine indeed. Fit, fruity and reserved. Superb. Try in 2020.

Compelling aromatics set off by flowers, blackberries, truffle and black licorice. In the mouth, the texture is pure silk and velvet. The wine is refined, polished, soft, fresh and elegant, with a long, sweet, fresh, rich, sensuous finish that remains on your palate for close to 40 seconds. The wine was made from a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 14.5% ABV.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate ochre rim. Fine spices, black fruit, blackberry and liquorice, mandarin zest, oak, a multi-faceted bouquet. Powerful, pronounced in fruit, ripe black forest berries, vivid, supporting tannins, a generous texture that runs from front to back, has not yet reached its first drinking maturity, great length, sure future ageing potential. Very promising, still has room for improvement in terms of points.

The 2010 Château Palmer offers a beautiful nose (it reminds me of the 2022, surprisingly) with darker black and blue fruits, violets, saddle leather, and incense notes, as well as a concentrated, rich, full-bodied style on the palate. It stays focused and pure, with beautiful tannins, a complex, layered texture, and a ripe, sexy profile that’s already impossible to resist. I might give the nod to the 2009 here, but this is a riveting Palmer that has so much to love. Drink bottles any time over the coming 3-4 decades. Drink 2025-2065.

54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot. Yield of 30.5 hl/ha. Dense purple with violet highlights, very saturated at the core. An insane berry cocktail on the nose, from grenadine and red cherries to cassis, showing complex, ripe sweetness; still a touch reserved, but tremendously deep. Velvety palate with dense extraction and almost essence-like fruit, plush tannins already exuding early charm; it’s in the mid-palate that the drive emerges, pointing to huge ageing potential. Aiming for the top score and among the very best Bordeaux Crus of the vintage.

54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot. 30.5 hl/ha. Dense purple with a violet sheen, very saturated at the core. An incredible berry cocktail on the nose—from grenadine to red cherries to cassis—showing a complex, ripe sweetness; still a touch restrained, yet revealing great depth. Velvety palate with dense extraction, again displaying almost essence-like fruit, with plush tannins already delivering early charm; deep inside comes the drive that points to enormous ageing potential. Certainly a candidate to rank among the very best Grands Crus. Perhaps even, at maturity, with the top score. (19/20). 19: Extremely dark violet-purple, dense at the core. Spicy bouquet that currently leans more toward Cabernet aromas, in the form of cassis and blackberry. Everything on the nose is dense and finely structured. A second pass reveals a black-pepper nuance. In the background, part of the future aromatic impact is already conveyed. The palate is dense, ample, supported by length-giving acidity. Vinified in a completely straightforward manner. A gigantic Palmer that guarantees an extremely long life. As a result, during its likewise lengthy youth, it cannot yet showcase much of its future greatness. But this is unquestionably a particularly powerful Palmer! I see its first true drinking window from 2040. Perhaps even later. With a good chance of adding another point then. (19/20).

Concentrated, complex, powerful, deep bouquet: plums, subtle dried fruit, currants, licorice, slate, black pepper. Finely concentrated, multi-layered, fruity palate with a finely creamy, well-muscled structure; concentrated, varied, powerful aromatics; plenty of fine tannins; very long, aromatic, full finish. Has room to improve. 19/20 2020 - 2050

Inky purple in colour. This begs to be taken slowly, as even visually you can see that the texture is rich and velvety and will benefit from a few more years softening in bottle. Dark chocolate and orange zest on the nose, this performs the levitating trick of heading upwards through your palate with mouthwatering acidities while pulling you downwards towards the tannins that are underpinning the whole experience. In between the two you find cassis, bilberry, raspberry and strawberry puree, just a whole array of pure, chiselled but juicy fruits. This is living up to promise, but needs more time, still a trace of austerity on the finish right now, even though the complexity and the layers are hard to resist. Sculpted, intense and concentrated. Harvest September 22 to October 20 - a full leisurely month, mirrored by the unhurried pace that this takes through your palate. 60% new oak.

Exceptional body and texture, no hardness, but a breadth on the retronasal palate that clearly indicates it still needs ten more years for the attack to be perfectly balanced with the richness of the material.

The attack is dense, the mid-palate compact, stern, straight, tannic, long, with a slightly drying spicy finish, very concentrated.

The nose is elegant, fresh, precise and aromatic, with depth and complexity. It reveals notes of fleshy/crushed boysenberry, blueberry and, more subtly, juicy/fleshy cherry, joined by small touches of crushed strawberry, violet and cardamom, along with very fine hints of chocolate, tea and spices, a very discreet hint of licorice, camphor and saline minerality, plus an imperceptible hint of lilac and fresh nutmeg. After aeration, the wine evolves slowly, revealing delicate hints of truffle/forest floor and toasted almond. The palate is fruity, balanced, beautifully guided, racy, and offers a juicy/tangy thread, gourmandise, tension, very fine finesse, a certain power (all in finesse), concentration, a very fine creaminess (in finesse) and tension. On the palate, it shows notes of fleshy/juicy black mulberry, cherry and, more slightly, ripe small black fruits, with small touches of raspberry and strawberry, as well as hints of chocolate, tonka bean, cardamom and spices, a discreet hint of clove, fresh lilac, tea, and a very discreet touch of toasted hazelnut. The tannins are elegant and delicate. A persistence of 20 caudalies with discreet hints of caramelized hazelnut.

Logo on the cork: DF Dark, intense colour, slightly developed. Very aromatic nose, refined, fruity and subtle. Smooth, silky palate, developing pleasantly with fruity notes and medium power. Normal length.

While outwardly this wine is generous and opulent with great juicy sweetness, the core is structured and powerful. The wine is concentrated and complex, with dark tannins and a brooding, dense texture. This is a wine with a long-lived future.