2024 Chateau Palmer 3eme Cru Classe, Margaux

Excellent depth and good purity of fruit, showing lots of blackcurrants, dark minerals and violet extract. Full-bodied, this has plenty of fine-grained tannins and a hallmark Palmer tannin structure and framework. Quite tight and juicy at the end with a lasting finish and lots of volume. 13.2% alcohol.

The 2024 Château Palmer is based on 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot, from tiny yields of just 22 hectoliters per hectare. It's aging in 50% new oak before being moved to foudre for the second year of élevage. This brings another level of density and texture, with ripe currants, cassis, violets, spicy wood, and tobacco all emerging from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, it has beautiful mid-palate depth, velvety tannins, and remarkable length. It's a clear success and could end up among the top wines of the vintage when all is said and done.

The 2024 Palmer is shaping up beautifully and stands out as one of the wines of the vintage in the Médoc. Wafting from the glass with aromas of crème de cassis, plums, cigar wrapper and iris, it's medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, with good depth at the core, sweet structuring tannins and a long, precise finish. Uniting charm with seriousness, this blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot is the quintessential Palmer. Yields after sorting worked out at 22 hectoliters per hectare.

The 2024 Palmer is wonderfully vivid and expressive. Strong Cabernet Sauvignon inflections make a strong first impression. Blue/purplish fruit, gravel, lavender, incense, licorice and dried herbs all jump from the glass. I imagine the 2024 will drink well on release, which is uncharacteristic for young Palmer. Readers will find a gorgeous wine with tons of character and pedigree to burn. Palmer remains one of the most distinctive wines in all of Bordeaux.

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 in the finish. The wine is not about its depth, it is about its purity, and refinement. The wine blends 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 41% Merlot. 13.2 % ABV, 3.75 pH. The yields were small at 22 hectoliters. Only 40% of the harvest was placed into the Grand Vin. The harvest took place September 25 – October 10. Drink from 2030-2050.

The 2024 Palmer is aged in 50% new oak for the first few months before it is transferred into 3,000-liter foudres. There is quite a stylistic difference between the Palmer and the Alter Ego on the nose: this is more sensual and displays more fruit concentration. Blackberry, blueberry, slate and light graphite scents unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and less voluptuous than recent vintages with an uncommon sense of symmetry, finely chiselled tannins and impressive tension on the slightly peppery finish. Excellent.

Medium intensity, inky colour and some delicious sappy fruits. Stretched out, sinewy, lean muscles, charcoal, slate, peony, gunsmoke, hugely engaging texture with salinity, and a mouthwatering finish. Easy to recommend, love it. Harvest 25 September to 10 October, 3.7ph, first year ageing in barrels, second in larger oak casks.

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