Palmer 2015 (3.0L)

100 JS / 98 JD / 98 WA / 97 VM / 97 DE / 96 WS / 99-100 GV

#48 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018

I am breathless with the dark-berry, lavender and burnt-orange aromas. Some salt. Just so formidable and deep. Stunningly sexy on the palate with a density and power, yet it leaves things so clean and bright. You want to drink it and enjoy it now, but it has the structure to last forever. Drink in 2022. James Suckling

One of the gems in Margaux is unquestionably the 2015 Palmer. Possessing more elegance and purity, as well as concentration, than the Alter Ego, it offers up a gorgeous bouquet of crème de cassis, caramelized cherries, charcoal, and graphite, with just a hint of spring flowers in the background. A final blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot that was brought up in 70% new oak, this full-bodied, ripe, incredibly polished 2015 is already hard to resist given its elegance and purity, yet should be at its best from 2023-2043. If you have more than one bottle, it's sensational today as well. - Jeb Dunnuck

Bottled relatively late in mid-September 2017, the 2015 Palmer is a blend of 44% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon with a small portion of Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it offers vibrant red currants, black cherries, wild blueberries, earth and mineral characteristics to begin, with slowly unfurling floral notes of violets and dried roses plus compelling baker’s chocolate and fragrant earth layers. Medium to full-bodied, generously fruited and possessing firm yet very, very fine-grained, mind-blowingly ripe tannins, the multifaceted palate features something of a skip in its step in terms of freshness, while it goes beguilingly earthy on the finish with some mineral hints. Very classy, elegant and sophisticated, this vintage is downright regal in its juxtaposition between poise and audaciousness. Think 2005 Palmer with a tick more fruit intensity, perfume and passion. Wine Advocate

The 2015 Palmer is a wine of total refinement and class. All the elements are wonderfully meshed together, as they always have been from the very start. Dark black cherry, plum, mocha, licorice, spice and leather notes are all seamless in the glass. The tannins are present, but they are silky and pretty much buried by the sheer luxuriousness of the fruit. Palmer is one of the most complete and harmonious wines of 2015. This is a brilliant effort from Thomas Duroux and his team. Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

There is a real consistency and signature of expression between the Palmer and the Alter Ego this year. It's hard not to be seduced by the exuberance of the vintage once the wine has opened up, but it is extremely well measured. It takes just a moment in the glass before the aromatics start to take off, and a minute more before the flesh gets laid on the bones, layer after layer, from savoury liquorice root to fleshy blackberry and cassis, shot through with a whiff of gunsmoke and a saline twist on the finish. A careful focus on phenolic maturity in the vineyards ensures a depth to the texture and a sense of outwards expansion through the palate. In terms of production, there is a 50/50 split between the two wines. Extremely precise, a beautifully accomplished wine. - Jane Anson, Decanter

This is dark and muscular in style, brimming with bramble, warm tar and paving stone notes that are matched by the deep layers of fig, blackberry and cassis fruit. A gorgeous bittersweet chocolate detail adds spine to the finish while violet and iron elements lurk in reserve. Another large wave of fruit and dark earth courses through the finish. Best from 2025 through 2045. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

44% Merlot/50% Cabernet/6% Petit Verdot Massive amounts of rich black fruit with great concentration and ripe integrated tannins. Very pure. Beautiful long finish. Definitely one of the best wines ever tasted here. GVWM