Chateau Palmer 2021

97 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

This juicy wine has aromatic black fruits that give way to cinammon spices and intense acidity along with dark, plush blackberry fruits. Wait to drink this impressive wine until 2028. Biodynamic.

96 POINTS

Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast

95–97. Barrel Sample. The wine is dense with warm tannins supporting black fruit tones and acidity. Juicy and spicy, the wine's Cabernet Sauvignon shows so well with black currant flavors. It is fresh and it obviously it will age well.

96 POINTS

James Suckling

There’s brightness and clarity to this young wine, with blackcurrants, violets, lavender and blackberries. Medium body with a sold core of fruit and a long, fresh finish. Fine tannins. Bright acidity. 56% merlot, 3% petit verdot and 41% cabernet sauvignon. From biodynamically grown grapes. Points: 96-97

96 POINTS

Georgina Hindle - Decanter

Perfumed chocolate cherries with bramble tones on the nose. This has a rich and round mouthfeel, clear structure on show but also with life and lift - a sweet, bright cherry element given definition by strict but fine tannins. You have a really beautiful, delicate opening, quite wide and airy then the depth arrives on the mid palate, with chalky tannins and red fruits coming into play before the spiced liquorice enters on the finish. The texture is striking, velvet-like with layers and a sublime verticality of freshness and minty aeration. It may be less glamourous and overtly plush and seductive than bigger previous vintages but I love the classicism on show - a focus, precision and sophistication. Superb winemaking from Thomas Duroux who successfully navigated the difficult vintage conditions in 2021.

95 POINTS

James Suckling

This wine is very fragrant, with blackberries, blueberries, black olives, bark and forest floor as well as some minerals and stone. Medium-bodied with racy and firm tannins that build to a fresh and steely finish. Needs three to five years to soften. You can almost taste the skins. Reminiscent of the 1995 Palmer but with more precision. 56% merlot, 41% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot. Best after 2028.

94 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections on the narrow rim. Spicy, dark berry fruit underscored with rosemary, coriander, black cherries and hints of liquorice; an individualistic bouquet. Complex, taut, fresh acidity, mineral-salty, subtle fruit sweetness on the finish, tightly meshed, will benefit from bottle maturation as it still needs time. Aged one year in barrique, one year in 3,000 litre Stockinger barrels from Austria.

94 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, fine nuances of oak and liquorice, ripe cherries, subtle hints of cloves and cinnamon, candied orange zest. Medium-bodied and tightly meshed with notes of red cherry, a lively acidic structure and red berries on the finish. An elegant and animating food wine with definite ageing potential, but lacks the usual volume. (9/1/2024, store, drink + 25)