2023 Chateau Palmer Margaux 750 ml

With a history dating back to the 17th century, Palmer has long been known as a Super Second, despite 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, Thomas 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, 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 smashing success, as Palmer always achieves the feat of balancing richness with freshness, power, with grace.