Château Palmer - Margaux 2017 b5952cb1c3ab96cb3c8c63cfb3dccaca

Wine Advocate

97 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/17/2020

A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Palmer gives a very serious nose of pronounced blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and blackberry preserves with hints of cedar chest, pencil shavings, violets, dark chocolate and star anise plus exotic wafts of sandalwood and cassia. Medium-bodied, the palate features fantastically vibrant, crunchy black fruits with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced. It will need a good 5-7 years to really blossom with all those tightly wound nuances, but it should be a stunner! Drinking Window : 2025 - 2065. 97+

Vinous

96 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe3/11/2020

One of the wines of the vintage on the Left Bank, the 2017 Palmer is fresh and vibrant, with tons of energy. Veins of supporting salinity and floral overtones lend grace to the Grand Vin in 2017. I imagine Palmer will only blossom with a few years in bottle. Time in the glass brings out pretty notes of dark fruit, mocha, spice, leather and licorice, but overall, the 2017 is quite reticent, especially given what readers have come to expect here. The blend is 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Technical Director Thomas Duroux told me his team harvested all the fruit in nine days as opposed to the more typical 2-3 weeks. The 2017s were done with no SO2 at crush. Duroux stopped the pump overs early and favored gentle extractions. Both wines are in the 13-13.2 range of finished alcohol. 96+

Wine Spectator

95 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/7/2020

Dark and winey in feel, with ample blackberry, plum and black currant compote flavors leading the way, while licorice snap, singed apple wood, black tea and dark earth notes fill in throughout. The finish is focused, showing a nice buried iron accent. A powerful version of Margaux and a strong effort in the vintage. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2038. — JM

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/13/2020

Very perfumed and subtle with dried flowers and citrus, as well as blue fruit. Full-bodied with wonderfully diffused, integrated tannins that just run over the edges of the wine. It’s extremely polished and very, very long. Fresh and bright. Energetic finish. A thoughtful wine. A blend of 54% merlot, 42% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot. Drink after 2023.

Le Point

17-17,5 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe6/20/2018

Suie, poivre, explose à l’air, riche, puissant, du vin, juteux, tanins très fins, enrobés, vif, sapide, on a la chair et la largeur, finale poivrée, note mentholée.

Jeb DUNNUCK

92-95 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/12/2018

One of the more inky, black-colored wines in the vintage, the 2017 Palmer is a powerhouse effort that has a big, rich, chewy style as well as tons of chocolaty black and blue fruits, graphite, licorice, truffle, and hints of violets. A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, harvested between the 20th and 29th of September, it has a powerful, full-bodied style, building tannin, and is impeccably balanced. It’s one of the vintage’s most promising efforts but is going to need 3-4 years of cellaring. It should last for two decades or more.

Vinifera

96 / 100

byJacques Perrinthe5/28/2018

Robe sombre. Profil plus crémeux qu’Alter Ego, doté d’une réelle profondeur. Notes de bois oriental. La bouche est dynamique, fuselée, avec une très jolie trame, parfaitement découpée, une très belle continuité de bouche et une finale d’une grande persistance, sur la fraîcheur.

Vinous

93-96 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

All the elements of the château come through beautifully in the 2017 Palmer. Dark, succulent and inviting, Palmer expresses the forward, fresh style of the year very nicely. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, chocolate and dark spice notes fill out the wine's frame effortlessly. The 2017 is an understated wine of great promise. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. The blend is 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Technical Director Thomas Duroux told me his team harvested all the fruit in nine days as opposed to the more typical 2-3 weeks. The 2017s were done with no SO2 at crush. Duroux stopped the pumpovers early and favored gentle extractions. Both wines are in the 13-13.2 range of finished alcohol.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-97 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

Flowers, exotic spice, black cherry, plum and licorice are announced as soon as the wine the hits the glass. Sensuous, sexy, silky and finesse driven, the red and dark fruits express a purity from start to finish. Give it five to ten years to gain softness and nuance. The wine was made from 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. The harvest took place September 20 to September 29 and the wine reached 13.2% with a pH 3.75. Fifty-five percent of the harvest was used to produce the Grand Vin and 15 hectares of vines, which normally go into Alter Ego were damaged by the frost.

Vinous

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Palmer was cropped at 38hl/ha between 20 and 29 September and then matured in 65% new oak (though this sample was taken from a used barrel as usual). For me there is quite a large difference between the Palmer and Alter Ego, the bouquet here is much more sophisticated and demonstrating more delineation: black fruit, iris, brown spices, a touch of clove and a subtle brine influence in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, crisp acidity, smooth and harmonious with a palpable sense of tension. I love the purity here, almost to an extent that I felt like asking Thomas Duroux to eschew the new oak! This has great potential and I love the typicitéthat I hope will not be obstructed.

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

The 2017 Palmer, a blend of 54% Merlot with 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, is very deep purple-black in color and leaps from the glass with freshly macerated blue and black fruits: wild blueberries, blackberries and black cherries plus hints of licorice, rose hips, tilled soil and oolong tea with a waft of truffles. Medium-bodied, very finely crafted with exquisitely ripe and smooth yet firm tannins and sporting great mid-palate intensity and wonderful freshness, it finishes long and minerally.

Decanter.com

95 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

It's very interesting to watch a 'super-second' risk scaling back the muscular attributes of its wine. The key, says director Thomas Duroux, was building the blend carefully and using the press wines to preserve the mid-palate (12% press in this wine, around the same as the 2015). It's less powerful and concentrated than the last few vintages, and yet the wine feels sculpted and sewn into place. The fine tannins are extremely clear and precise, and there's a purity of fruit expression that gives an overwhelming initial impression. The aromatics are really striking, offering an abundance of violet notes on the nose with huge finesse. It just gets better and better in the mouth,, and the tannins do that slow-build thing that is so disarming. This has clear ageing potential. Very low SO2 use for the past few years, in keeping with their biodynamic principles. Just one plot of Petit Verdot for the grand vin was hit by frost. Harvested 20-29 September. 11,000 cases of Palmer, representing 55% of the crop.

WeinWisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/25/2018

54% Merlot, 42% Caber­net Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot. 13 %vol. 38 hl/ha. Dichtes Granat mit rubinrotem Rand, Komplexes Bouquet mit roter Kirschfrucht, hellem Tabak und reifen Himbeeren. lm zweiten Ansatz rote Johannisbeeren und Darjeelingteenoten, Am Gaumen seine royale Grâsse zeigend, mit seidiger Textur und bereits abge-rundeten, sehr prâzisen Tanninen, alles in Balance. lm Finale katapultiert sich das Finessenpaket nach oben und endet mit einer Explosion von Schattenmorel-lensaft und Heidelbeeren. Was für eine Sinfonie. Ein ktassischer Palmer, der an 2008 erinnert.                
19/20 2025 - 2055

Jean-Marc QUARIN

17,75 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/17/2018

Wine Enthusiast

94-96 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2018

Ripe black fruits are held aloft by a core of firm tannins. The juicy black-currant flavors are full, rich, generous and structured. This wine is already beautifully balanced, harmonious and with a fine, medium-term future, nothing in excess. Drink from 2024.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

This is a sexy and well-formed 2017 with very velvety and suave tannins that go on for minutes. Full-bodied, soft and round. Extremely long and last for minutes.

Wine Spectator

92-95 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/4/2018

This is solidly ripe, with juicy energy adding extra lift to the mix of plum, cherry and blackberry fruit. A super-fresh iron streak checks in, along with mouthwatering bay and savory notes. This stands out from the pack.—J.M.