Château Palmer 2011

Falstaff

VertdeVin

The wine benefits from being decanted. The nose is tightly wound and offers concentration with finesse, nice power/intensity of grain as well as complexity. There are notes of fleshy blackberry, fleshy strawberry and more slightly racy/seedy minerality combined with hints of Cuben pepper, sense of place (biotop), fine spice notes, discreet blond tobacco nuances and a subtle hint of flowers and cinnamon. The palate is nicely fresh, delicate and offers minerality, juiciness, a certain verticality, a controlled concentration, a nice tannic structure, a nice mellowness, a racy power, a fine airy side in the approach as well as a fine unctuosity and subtlety. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fresh/juicy boysenberry, purple plum and more slightly of crunchy blackcurrant combined with touches of racy minerality, toasted/crushed hazelnut, a subtle, almost bergamot-like, serenity (in the background) as well as discreet hints of vanilla and nutmeg. The tannins are smooth and elegant. Subtle hints of incense and flowers on the finish. Sapidity on the finish.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The opaque blue/purple-colored 2011 Palmer reveals a stunning bouquet of licorice, truffles, camphor, spring flowers, black raspberries and black currants. One of the superstars of the vintage, this brilliant 2011 possesses superb concentration and purity, medium to full body, and remarkable length of close to a minute. A tour de force in winemaking, the Palmer team merits accolades for achieving this level of quality in a more challenging vintage than either 2009 or 2010. The “wine of the vintage” in Margaux, tiny yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare, a final blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a severe selection (only 55% of the production made it into Palmer) are the reasons for this success.

James Suckling

A wine with currants and mineral character on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied, with silky, polished tannins and a long finish. Very tight and refined now. Tannic. Palmer only made 20 hectoliters of wine a hectare. Like a tightly wound ball of cashmere thread.

Bettane et Desseauve

La Revue du Vin de France

Wine Enthusiast