Château Palmer 2024

Palmer as well, with 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot, clearly more Cabernet than in other years; deep, dark-fruited, cool and noble, with radiant cassis fruit and floral notes; taut on the palate, gripping and structured, the wine shows plenty of bite, the tannins are of excellent quality, the fruit harmonizes with the structure, very long-lasting, red-fruited finish on sour cherry. Refined and elegant.

Dark fragrance on the nose, dark chocolate, violets, slate, smoke and liquorice. Rich and round on the palate, fleshy and vibrant – so much energy and life here. Bright, almost sweet but high-toned too, sleek yet so delicate. You get the flavour, the texture, lattice-like, so delicately constructed, but this isn’t a light wine. Succulent, fresh, lifted and just so full of life. A touch of austerity on the finish – the tension coming through with slate and graphite mintiness. There’s still a bite on the finish but that will soften over time. I love this wine. 35% production. pH 3.7. 10% press wine. Ageing: 50% new oak for the first year then foudre.

59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot. 22 hl/ha. Cask sample. Ripe but aromatically restrained with just a hint of dark fruit and chocolate. Full and round on the attack and mid-palate, then focused with lift and line on the finish. Fine, enrobed tannins with tension and freshness as well. Should evolve positively. (JL)

Black raspberries, smoke, espresso, black cherries, dried flowers, and strawberries form the perfume. On the palate, the wine is soft, elegant, vibrant, and refined. The wine is light, but not too light, with just enough depth and concentration to provide length and width on the finish. This wine is not about depth; it’s about purity and refinement. The blend is 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot. 13.2% ABV, 3.75 pH. Yields were low at 22 hectoliters. Only 40% of the harvest went into the Grand Vin. The harvest took place from September 25 to October 10. Drink from 2030–2050. 94–96 pts

On the nose, a captivating, heady floral note evokes the promise of the first day of summer, carried by luminous, transparent black fruit. On the palate, pure elegance with no artifice or ostentation. The structure is mineral and chalky, as if sculpted in ivory: broad yet perfectly delineated. A juicy, refined wine with great drinkability that will reveal itself gracefully from a young age.

Lovely elegant nose, precise, ample, velvety, precise, offering well-calibrated concentration, with a nice gravelly/racy (terroir) character, a certain sweetness and finesse. We find notes of ripe/juicy Boysenberry, crushed wild strawberry and, more lightly, almost slightly roasted raspberry, combined with touches of fleshy plum, fine hints of Madagascar pepper, as well as a delicate sappy note, lilac and crunchy cherry. The palate is beautifully handled, supple, elegant, airy, precise, nicely racy, offering accuracy, a tangy backbone, delicacy, silkiness, and a certain fleshy/juicy feel with perfect poise and elegance. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackcurrant, violet and, more lightly, fleshy black cherry, combined with touches of cornflower, fine hints of cardamom, camphor, flickers of fleshy black cherry, as well as fine hints of gravel, balsamic, elegant darkness, toast, cornflower and chocolate. A lovely touch of sweetness. The tannins are elegant and supple. Almost a discreet sun-kissed side in certain fruit.