Suckling: “I am breathless”

Wine Bottle
  • 100 pts James Suckling
    100 pts JS
  • 98 pts The Wine Independent
    98 pts TWI
  • 98 pts Wine Advocate
    98 pts RPWA
  • 98 pts Jeb Dunnuck
    98 pts Jeb Dunnuck
  • 98 pts Wine Enthusiast
    98 pts WE
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2015 Chateau Palmer Margaux 750 ml

Limited Time Offer
Ships 04/15
$390 per bottle

Shipping included.
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

At Home Among the First Growths

“I am breathless,” begins James Suckling’s 100-point review of the “stunningly sexy” 2015 Château Palmer, which tied Haut-Brion ($2,500+), Mouton ($828), Latour ($1200+), and Margaux ($1,700+) at the top of the Left Bank pyramid.

Palmer’s winemaker and CEO Thomas Duroux told us that it takes a bottle of Palmer a decade to reach its full measure of aromatic complexity, and this one is just easing into its prime. 

With a history dating back to the 17th century, Palmer is seen by many as an honorary First Growth, 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!

Duroux has transformed Palmer into one of Bordeaux’s few entirely biodynamic estates. He has 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, power with grace. This 2015 delivers all that.