2009 Chateau Palmer Margaux 750 ml

The 2009 Château Palmer is Margaux at its most brilliantly sensuous, a bottle of historic greatness and soul whose rich, round yet almost weightless texture, high-toned bouquet of blackcurrant, dusty earth, violets and leather, and magnificent structure mark it among the most collectible Bordeaux releases in recent memory.

Winemaker and CEO Thomas Duroux and these pedigreed Garonne gravel vineyards achieved near-perfection in 2009 with 99 points from Jeb Dunnuck, who called it “unquestionably one of the greatest young Bordeaux I’ve tasted” with “a rare mix of richness and elegance that’s incredible.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate classed it in the company of neighboring First Growth Château Margaux with 98 points, a score matched by James Suckling.

Robert Parker left no room for doubt, declaring it “one of the all-time great Palmers,” comparing it to the house’s iconic 1961 and 2005 releases—bucket-list bottles that collectors spend a lifetime tracking down.  

Today, thanks to a long-standing connection with Duroux, we’re able to offer a small allocation of the gorgeously concentrated 2009 directly from Palmer’s cellars with perfect provenance. For an estate that Parker has said is capable of “first-growth quality,” it’s a steal compared to 2009’s Margaux ($1,151) or Mouton Rothschild ($1,102). 

Duroux has told us that it takes a decade for a Palmer wine to reach its full measure of aromatic complexity, and this bottle amply demonstrates why it’s worth the wait. With enough regal stature to easily age another 20 years, today’s offer provides a rare degree of access to a Margaux that ranks with the best ever in the appellation.

With a history dating back to the 17th century, Palmer has been known as a “Super Second” despite technically being classified as a Third Growth in 1855. Its trademark aromatic delicacy and soft elegance can be traced to the estate’s higher proportion of Merlot (planted on the best gravel parcels), basically matching the amount planted to Cabernet Sauvignon—a rare practice on the Left Bank that makes Palmer a standout.

Since coming on in 2004, Duroux—a protégé of Robert Mondavi who previously oversaw Italy’s Ornellaia—has become one of our favorite brains to pick in Bordeaux. Bespectacled and soft-spoken, he’s a quiet innovator who isn’t afraid of testing hidebound Médoc tradition in pursuit of the best wine. When he was first called in for an interview, he showed up wearing jeans!

He’s transformed Palmer into one of Bordeaux’s few entirely biodynamic estates, and embraced the property’s soil diversity, matching different approaches with vine age and rootstock to the 16 types of soil. The result has been a succession of vintages in which Duroux managed the impossible feat of balancing richness with freshness, and power with grace.