Château Palmer - Margaux 2009

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/1/2013

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

95 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe7/31/2012

Bright medium red. Very ripe aromas of boysenberry, chocolate, violet and minerals. Wonderfully silky and intense, with terrific complexity to its dark berry, floral and minerals flavors. Most impressive today on the building, vibrant finish, which boasts a solid structure for at least mid-term aging. With 72 hours in the recorked bottle, this wine showed a texture of liquid velvet, with its seductive raspberry and chocolate flavors kept fresh by sound acidity. A beauty.

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/29/2012

One of the all-time great Palmers (along with the 1961, 1966, 1970, 1989, 2000 and 2005), the 2009 Palmer is a blend of 52% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and a whopping 7% Petit Verdot that came in at close to 14% natural alcohol. An opaque blue/black color suggests a wine with thrilling levels of concentration and intensity, and That's exactly what a taster gets. Subtle smoke, incense and Asian spice (soy?) notes interwoven with graphite, blueberry, blackberry and cassis characteristics lead to a full-bodied, phenomenally concentrated, viscous, opulent wine with plenty of sweet tannin. This sensational Palmer reveals even more floral notes than vintages such as 2005 and 2000. It should drink well for 50 years.

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2012

This has such class and power. Aromas of blueberries and blackberries, with hints of violets. Full-bodied, with polished tannins and a juicy finish. Solid and extremely pretty. Fabulous finish. Try in 2020.

Wine Spectator

95 / 100

byJames Molesworththe1/11/2012

This is on another level from most in the appellation, with gorgeous layers of warm currant confiture, smoldering tobacco, licorice snap, warm paving stone and anise all framed by tarry but integrated grip. Stays sleek and well-defined through the finish. Should age beautifully. Best from 2015 through 2030. - J.M.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91-94 / 100

byIan D'Agatathe6/30/2010

(a blend of 52% merlot, 41% cabernet sauvignon and 7% petit verdot; cropped at 34 hectoliters per hectare) Very dark ruby. Rich, concentrated aromas of ripe dark plum and blackberry show a pure, penetrating quality. Dense, rich and wonderfully tactile on the palate, with pure black fruit and graphite flavors nicely complicated by cocoa and coffee. Finishes very long, but with slightly rigid tannins that left me wishing for a touch more generosity. A very strong wine, but not quite as impressive as I expected in the context of the vintage-and more tannic than usual.

timatkin.com

97 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe6/30/2010

13.9 % alcohol. 52M, 41CS, 7PV A wine that is every bit as good as the brilliant 2005. This is a wonderfully balanced Palmer, despite some of the highest ever levels of tannin in the young wine, according to Thomas Duroux. Aromatic, plum and blackcurrant fruit, with silky yet plentiful Cabernet tannins, well-balanced oak and a silky finish. Deceptively forward, this is a wine for the long haul. 15+ years.

La Revue du Vin de France

18,5-19,5 / 20

the5/31/2010

Les merlots on été particuilèrement réussis à Palmer cette anée, ils représentent donc 52% de l'assemblage final. Le nez est dense, très profond et exhale de belles notes de fruits noirs. La bouche se montre compacte, avec un côté très juteux et une acidité bien calée. La puissance des tanins est impressionnante, mais leur soyeux leur permet de se fondre parfaitement dans la matière. Superbe velouté et finale interminable.

Le Point

17,5 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/6/2010

Nez complexe, résine, sous-bois, fruits noirs, bouche ronde, moelleuse, frais, vif, tendu, sucrosité des tanins et fraîcheur, moelleux, tanins gras, chalereux et élégant, long. La présence importante dans l'encépagement de merlot fait monter sensiblement le degré d'alcool. Nous trouvons Palmer plus à l'aise, plus élégant dans un millésime moins chaud, comme 2008. O=2017 G=25 ans

Falstaff

95-97 / 100

byPeter Moserthe4/30/2010

Attraktive süße Frucht, dunkles Beerenkonfit, Edelholz, mineralische Nuancen. Stoffig, süß, feiner Karamelltouch, cremig, Schokoanklang, frischer Säurebogen, Röstaromen, schokoladig, sehr gute Länge, besitzt Charme.

TAST

19 / 20

by Bettane & Desseauvethe4/30/2010

Le cru retrouve l’intégralité de ses merlots et la filiation avec les légendaires réussites du siècle dernier, après quelques millésimes superbes mais plus « cabernet ». On est admiratif devant le velouté incroyable de la texture et l’harmonie de l’ensemble malgré sa monumentalité. Mais la pureté sublime de Château Margaux semble hors d’atteinte. Certainement le plus grand vin de la propriété depuis 1961, et la naissance d’un « mythe », avec quelque chose en plus dans son élan actuel que le quasi-parfait 2005.

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2010

Sample taken on 19th March. A blend of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, cropped between 23rd September and 14th October, and 13.9% and 3.75pH. IPT is 88, which has never been seen before. A deep purple hue, the nose very tight at the moment with black cherry, cassis, a touch of oyster shell and liquorice. Blossoming in the glass. The palate is medium to full-bodied with seamless tannins, beautiful balanced and immense purity. The oak is well integrated (50%). Wonderful poise on the finish and superb length. Yes, modern in style, but there it is imbued with irresistible purity. Tasted March 2010.

Wine Enthusiast

98-100 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/30/2010

Sumptuous, opulent, with gorgeous ripe fruit, and yet under 14 percent alcohol. The firm tannins are almost smothered by the delicious fruits. It is a great wine that expresses both the natural exuberance of Palmer and the rich fruit and balancing freshness of the vintage.–

Wein Wisser

20 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/30/2010

52 % Merlot, 41 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot. Ertrag: 34 hl/ha, dennoch knapp über 100 000 Flaschen Produktion. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Unglaubliches Bouquet, alles im schwarzbeerigen Bereich, Lakritze, Rauch, Brombeeren, Black Currant, schwarze Edelhölzer und Kakao, eine komplexe Fülle zeigend, ohne alkoholisch zu wirken (13,6 Vol.-% Alkohol sind vergleichsweise niedrig). Am Gaumen schon völlig präsent, mit wunderbarer Fülle und innerer Dichte, rollende Tannine, reichlich Brombeeren und Cassis, nobel. 2017–2038

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/28/2010

The black/purple-colored 2009 Palmer exhibits a level of tannin that exceeds anything they have previously produced. The final blend is 52% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 7% Petit Verdot, and the finished alcohol is 13.9%. It is hard to say this 2009 will turn out better than Palmer’s extraordinary 2005, but it certainly will be different in style given the alcohol level and power of this vintage. Pure blackberry and black currant fruit notes intermixed with hints of incense, graphite, and wood are followed by an opulent, thick, juicy wine with plenty of structure, and enormous concentration, mass, and length. Four to five years of patience is required, but this beauty should last for three decades or more. (Tasted once.) Drink 2010-2040.

Anthony Rose

96-98 / 100

byAnthony Rosethe4/26/2010

55% of production compared to 45% of Alter Ego and a yield of 34/hl compared to 32 hl / ha in 2005, this is 52% merlot (!), 41% cabernet sauvignon and 7% petit verdot, and 13.9% alcohol with 55% new oak. It’s very dense rich saturated colour, very fine fresh aromatic power, intense flavours and rich fruit concentration, lovely dark red fruits (mulberry, plum and dark cherry) flavours, dense and concentrated, almost a meal in itself, and yet lovely sweet velvety texture and great freshness with hardly any tannin feel until you wait and then the structure of tannin and acidity kicks in way down the track. This is an intense, beautiful wine. 96-98+

Wine Spectator

95-98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/9/2010

Loaded with exotic fruit, with masses of crushed blackberry and blueberry. Superclear and fruit forward. Full and velvety, with fresh acidity and a long, long finish. This is almost in your face, but reserved in a way. Superseductive.

Decanter Magazine

19 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/9/2010

Black red, deep velvety richness and wonderful concentration of black, spicy fruits on the nose, firm and powerful, fragrant and lifted, a satiny, seductive texture, great concentration, totally harmonious. Drink 2016-35.

Jancis Robinson

18 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/7/2010

41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot. Lustrous dark crimson. Very sweet and opulent on the nose. Very charming and glamorous. Much more of an expression of Merlot than many Médocs in 2009. Big and glamorous – a slightly Italian note. This year obsessed by extraction even more than usual. Prefer to play with press wines later. New from Parsec, a robot that turns though three dimensions. Experimented in 2008 for gentle extraction. Italian elan. Fresh. Drink 2018-2035