The 2019 Palmer is a truly special wine, but it is also going to need a number of years to be at its finest. Dense and plush, with explosive energy, the 2019 possesses tremendous richness in its dark fruit. As always, the blend features a high percentage of Merlot (43%) which works so well in complementing the savoriness of the Cabernet. Thomas Duroux and his team fashioned another absolutely compelling Palmer in 2019.

Silky, rich and nuanced black cherry and bilberry fruit, touches of cocoa bean, liquroice, sour plum and fennel, all utterly enveloping. It unrolls slowly, building momentum with carefully placed tannins, delicate yet with a punch of power and concentration underneath. Large sized oak casks for ageing introduced alongside barrels, 60% new oak. Harvest September 19 to October 11.

The 2019 Palmer was always going to be stylistically a completely different kettle of fish than the preceding vintage. It was bottled in early August 2021. As winemaker Thomas Duroux foretold, it’s a much more classically styled Palmer, offering blackberry, briary and pressed iris petals scents rather than violet, along with a distinct marine influence; a touch of sea spray comes through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, tightly knit on the entry, and very fresh and saline, with just a very slight bitter edginess toward the almost Côte de Nuits–like finish (especially returning to my glass after 20 minutes). Quintessential Palmer, this will require 4–6 years in bottle.

Rich black cherries and damson fruit, together with tighter sour plum, anise and fennel, holding your attention from the first moment. Another hugely successful vintage at this property, showcasing an elegant, finessed tannic structure that hides a punch of power and concentration. As it opens, cocoa bean, liquorice and a saline-streaked minerality inch across the palate. Large-sized oak casks used for ageing. Tasted twice over two months; once as part of a vertical and here on a day of tasting other 2019s. This comes in at just a breath underneath the score during the vertical but it is unquestionably a Palmer to savour. 60% new oak.