Castle Palmer - Margaux 2014

Jamessuckling.com

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/16/2017

This really develops wonderfully in the glass starting out earthy with mushrooms and spices and then turns to dark fruit such as blackberries and blackcurrants. Full-bodied, very intense and minerally. Firm and silky tannins and a long, long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink in 2022.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/8/2017

This has a fresh, energetic feel, with lots of bramble-edged grip pushing the core of raspberry, plum and cherry coulis flavors. The finish is very pure, punctuated by lively floral and iron notes. Flaunts minerality in the end. Best from 2020 through 2035.

Vinous

95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/6/2017

The 2014 Palmer is endowed with serious depth and intensity. Black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, spice, leather, tobacco and menthol infuse the 2014 with striking midpalate depth, unctuousness and texture. Silky, plush and polished, the 2014 will likely offer a very long window of pure drinking pleasure. It is one of the sexiest, raciest 2014s readers will come across. The blend is 49 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 % Merlot and 6 % Petit Verdot aged in 60-65 % new French oak. 95+

Le Point

16-16,5 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/21/2015

- Assez fermé, fruits noirs, bouche pleine, tendue, texture serrée, accrocheur en finale, bien garni, un peu austère, belle finale relevée, frais, granuleux. 

Vinous

91-94 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2015

The 2014 Palmer is also quite silky and polished, especially for a young wine. Dense and concentrated, but with gorgeous textural finesse, the 2014 is already quite harmonious. Dark red cherry, plum, smoke, mocha, tobacco, menthol and licorice are all pushed forward in an opulent, forward Palmer that should offer a long window of very fine drinking. The blend is 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot.

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-95 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/5/2015

Espresso bean, truffle, floral, plum and earthy scents pop quickly as your nose meets the glass. A polished and elegant debutante wrapped in a gown of velvety tannins, this wine is fresh, clean and pure leaving you with a sensuous drape of lingering fruits. This wine is the first fully biodynamic vintage for the chateau. Produced from a blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, the reached 13.5 alcohol with a pH of 3.6. It represents 55% of the harvest, which took place between September 22 and October 14. 94-95 Pts

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2015

The Château Palmer 2014 is a blend of 45% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot cropped at 33hl/ha between 22 September and 14 October. There is certainly more fruit intensity on the nose compared to the Alter Ego: more density, perhaps more opaqueness in tandem with more delineation. Dark plums, boysenberry jam and mineral abound. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, edgy tannin and crisp acidity (pH 3.6), a dash of cracked black pepper enlivening the back palate with a taut, quite grippy finish. This is a more masculine Palmer in prospect, one that will deserve five or six years in bottle.

Jancis Robinson

17,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/20/2015

49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Picked about five days earlier than had they not been biodynamic.
Quite dark crimson but not super deep. Real interest on the nose. Something floral and complex. Very distinctive and far from the Médoc concentrated norm. Still the acidity creeps in but it certainly is more burgundian (T Duroux was not the only Bordelais to mention Burgundy). Racy and sinewy. Bit of a ballet dancer. Really quite delicate. Fresh and distinctive. Appetising. Striking. 

Asian Palate

92-94 / 100

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2015

Wonderful purity and delicacy in this wine with svelte, plush tannins. Hint of violets, dark cherry and cassis with a palate that is focused and pure. Flavors are not that expressive now but it is the texture that is quite special - like thick velvet that is supple and long. This vintage had higher acidity than 2009 and 2010 - bodes well for aging. A sophisticated wine with greater subtlety since moving towards biodynamics.

Decanter.com

18,5 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/17/2015

Robust fruit from low yields but no less elegant. Wonderful richness, texture and structure, this will become a superbly balanced wine of great beauty. Drink: 2020-2040 (95)

Jamessuckling.com

94-95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/10/2015

This has a fabulous depth of fruit with dark berries, currants, blueberries and hints of licorice and spice. Full-bodied, chewy and rich with velvety tannins and a fruity finish. The tannin backbone comes through at the end, giving the wine tension and freshness.

timatkin.com

95 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe4/7/2015

René Gabriel

18 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/1/2015

49 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 % Palmer, 5 % Petit Verdot. 33 hl/ha. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Schwer anzugehendes Bouquet, getrocknete Steinpilze, Soyasauce, Amarenasüsse und einen feinen Luftton zeigend. Ich monierte diesen Ton bei Thomas Duroux und wir öffneten ein zweites Muster. Dieses war dann aber genau gleich. Im Gaumen stoffig, viel dunkelmalzige Noten, Korinthenspuren und Darjeelingtee. Noch nie hatte mich ein junger Palmer an einen südlichen Rhônewein erinnert. Das war aber jetzt deutlich der Fall. Im Nachklang kommt aber alles ins Lot, der Wein endet extrem aromatisch mit vielen schwarzen Beeren, Lakritze und einem Hauch von Sommertrüffel. Ich finde da aber - mit meiner Erfahrung von mittlerweile 73 Jahrgängen Palmer - keine Parallelen zu irgendeinem früheren Jahrgang. Eswird - von seiner etwas fordernden Charakteristik her - ein etwas reservierter Klassiker werden. Dieser Palmer wurde das allererste Mal komplett im biodynamsichen Stil hergestellt. Somit wird da ein neues Kapitel eingeläutet und da muss auch ein versierter Degustator (Gabriel) wohl in noch die Bio-Verkostungs-Schule gehen. Potentialwertung: 18/20 2025 – 2050

Wine Enthusiast

96 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/1/2015

95–97. Barrel Sample. This is a beautiful, structured wine, with great fruit. Blackberries and currants lie on a bed of structured tannins and firm wood. It is rich, while still presenting ample freshness and acidity. This will age very well.

Wine Spectator

93-96 / 100

byJames Molesworththe3/30/2015

This is reserved in profile now, with crushed red and black currant fruit and lightly singed alder notes. Yet the core is
coiled, showing very energetic raspberry and plum coulis flavors, with a lilting violet edge and a long, iron-fueled finish.
There's a very refined backdrop of tobacco and singed juniper, and the finish is long and suave.