Château Palmer - Margaux 2006

Jancis Robinson

17.50 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe1/27/2010

Brown rim. Neat, intense, introvert nose. Lots of Cabernet. Concentrated cassis fruit. Lovely texture. Real lift plus density. Quite impressively juicy then spicy and dry on the end but in a fresh, impressive way rather than dried out. Neat. Less chunky than some. Very ambitious and seductive. Quite marked acidity though and only a medium finish. Drink 2015-2028

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/31/2009

Coffee, plum and spices on the nose follow through to a full body, with lovely fruit and a soft, silky-textured finish. Very balanced and beautiful, with lots of violet, new wood and richness. Long. Needs time. Best after 2015.

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/1/2009

The dense ruby/purple-hued 2006 Palmer reveals sweet aromas of melted licorice, underbrush, toast, plums, and black cherries. Outstanding density, a medium to full-bodied style, and a personality that recalls 1996, this blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot possesses moderately high tannins as well as plenty of aging potential. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91-93 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2008

Good full red. Subtly perfumed aromas of plum, milk chocolate, cedar, menthol and smoke. Sweet, supple and deep, with a pungent minerality to the flavors of mulberry, currant and chocolate. Very suave and harmonious wine, offering a lovely combination of volume and energy. Duroux ultimately included 47% merlot in the blend, and this must be some of the best merlot of the Medoc in 2006. Finishes very long and perfumed, with terrific vinosity. (At a much lower price point, the estate's second wine, Alter Ego, is also unusually elegant and juicy in 2006.)

La Revue du Vin de France

17-18 / 20

the7/6/2007

Palmer affiche une belle robe rubis profonde, avec un nez puissant et intense de fruits et de boisé fin. La bouche est charnue, tendue, avec un milieu plein et riche et une finale marquée par un légère austérité. Un joli vin, ample.

Decanter Magazine

18.50 / 20

the6/30/2007

Intense velvety colour, dense and rich, quite fleshy due to the very ripe Merlots, but Cabernets bring true Margaux breed and a wonderfully silky expression of fruit with power behind it. 2014-30

Cahier Gaultmillau

19 / 20

the6/30/2007

Vin à la couleur noire bleutée, allant vers un dégradé pourpre. La première impression au nez est très flatteuse, toastée, avec beacoup de profondeur et une note de tabac blond. Puis arrivent des notes de fruits très mûrs, dans lesquelles s'introduisent des notes d'encens et de menthe poivrée. Un vin subtil et délicat au nez. Belle densité de matière en bouche, sur une trame douce et pleine. La structure se fond dans la matière d'une manière subtile .Le bin est très long en bouche. Cette année Palmer est plus serein qu'exubérant. Un style qui nous plaît infiniment. A boire avant 2025/28

Le Point

17.50-18 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/24/2007

Séveux, minéral, silex, bouche délicate, élégante mais tendue, un très beau fruit bien préservé et beaucoup de longueur, un vin plus en longeur qu'en largeur, de petits tanins délicats, moins explosif que 2005, mais précis et minéral.

Wein Wisser

18 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe5/7/2007

2016-2035. Dunkles Granat-Purpur, rubiner Rand. Diskretes, sehr feines Bouquet, noch zurückhaltend, schöne Tiefe, schwarze Beeren, Lakritze, Teernuancen. Fester, stoffiger Gaumen, viel Fleisch im delikat süssen Extrakt zeigend, fest eingebundene Tannine und Säure, weit ausgelegt, ein beruhigender, nicht spekulativer Palmer mit viel Klasse und ebenso viel Potenzial.

Falstaff

91-93 / 100

the5/3/2007

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, jugendliche Reflexe, violetter Rand. In der Nase stoffige, süße Beerenfrucht, feine Gewürzanklänge von Zimt, Nelken, Sternanis im Bukett, zarter Schokotouch. Am Gaumen stoffig, kraftvolle Textur, festes Tannin, das bereits sehr gut integriert ist, gute Mineralik, voll mit saftiger, extraktsüßer Frucht, vielversprechende Länge, steht dem Premier Cru so gut wie nicht nach. Sehr klassisch ausgefallener Wein mit toller Terroirprägung.

Wine Advocate

91-94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/3/2007

From only 50% of the harvest, administrator Thomas Duroux has produced a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Merlot from yields of 37 hectoliters per hectare. The 2006 reveals a touch of austerity along with an impressive dense purple color, and sweet aromas of flowers, licorice, black currants, oak, and underbrush. This structured, powerful, medium to full-bodied, beautifully made, ageworthy 2006 should be ready to drink in 5-6 years, and keep for 25-30.

Vinum

16.50 / 20

the4/30/2007

Breiter, herber Palmer mit festen, auch etwas harten, bitteren Tanninen, viel Holz im Finale. Es fehlt an Ausgewogenheit in diesem Stadium. Dennoch: Die blumige Aromatik nährt die Hoffnung, dass aus dem Weni mehr wird, als es zurzeit den Anschein hat. 2014 bis 2025

TAST

17 / 20

the4/30/2007

Vin riche, harmonieux, très diversifié dans ses arômes et précis et noble dans sa texture, mais qui, dégusté immédiatement avant Château Margaux, souffre quand même de la comparaison, particulièrement sur le plan de l’énergie du tannin et de l’aristocratie de la saveur. Le merlot arrondit les angles, mais aussi l’expression de l’origine !

Wine Advocate

95-97 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/15/2007

Tasted at the château. So, Palmer made a better wine than the invincible Château Margaux in 2006? Looks like it, for no other reason that Palmer is blessed with superior terroir suited towards that grape varietal. Simple as that. A deep purple/garnet hue. A deep, opulent, compelling nose of blackberry, cedar, limestone with a certain “coolness” about it. The palate is full-bodied with filigree tannins and wonderful delineation. It has a tension that I did not find in Château Margaux, whilst there is an added dimension of something from the sea, a slight briny element. Good persistency, beautifully poised finish, this wine sets the benchmark for the appellation in 2006.

Wine Enthusiast

91-93 / 100

the4/15/2007

For Palmer, this is an atypical wine. With a much higher percentage than usual of Cabernet Sauvignon, it loses the plump character normally associated with this estate. Instead, there is a wine with noticeable currant fruit flavors, very fresh, layered with wine and with prominent acidity to finish. It is much more about elegance than richness. —R.V.

Jancis Robinson

18 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/10/2007

Very, very deep crimson. Very intense and nervy - impressive on the nose - but more obviously big and fruity than the more delicate Ch. Margaux. Probably a wise decision to choose another track. Slightly charred and smoky. Round and fresh and very beguiling. Real lift and only the slightest hint of inkiness on the finish. Bravo! Very fine tannins - very suave and polished with good density while still being Margaux. Very sweet. Hints of modern idiom but very gentle. Super silky texture. Sinewy - but polished sinews!

Wine Spectator

92-94 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/29/2007

Gorgeous nose, with violet, currant and berry, and a vanilla undertone. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and supersilky tannins. Long and rich. Wonderful wine. Love the balance. Almost 95-100.