Château Palmer - Margaux 2013

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

le 31/03/2016

Jamessuckling.com

93 / 100

par James Suckling le 15/02/2016

Extremely perfumed and floral with hints of currants. Full body, firm and silky. Pretty fruit and finish. Bright and firm too. Milk chocolate on the finish. Drink in 2018 but already joyful.

Wine Advocate

87-88 / 100

par Robert Parker le 29/08/2014

The use of new oak was also cut back in order to emphasize the fruit aspects of the wine. Consequently, the 2013 Palmer is an easygoing, fruit-forward, fresh, pure wine with no vegetal characteristics or astringent tannins. This opaque purple-colored, medium-bodied, plush 2013 preserves some of its Margaux typicity even in this tough vintage. Drink it over the next decade. Palmer’s administrator, Thomas Duroux, realized that 2013 was going to be a year requiring huge amounts of labor and a draconian-like selection. Only 3,800 cases of 2013 Palmer were produced from a blend of 49% Merlot and 51% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

89-92 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 16/05/2014

(51% cabernet sauvignon and 49% merlot; 33% selection for the grand vin; 25 hl/ha):  Ruby-red; obviously much darker than the Alter Ego.  Deep aromas of ripe black cherry, cedar and cocoa.  Then rich, dense and suave on the palate, with an almost unctuous quality and terrific persistence to the pure blackcurrant, flint and floral flavors.  Smoothly tannic and very pure, this is an absolutely memorable Palmer, especially in the context of the vintage.  "A Palmer without merlot is not a Palmer," says Duroux, who chose not to eliminate too much of the merlot from the final blend; one gets the feeling all the dilute stuff went into the Alter Ego.

timatkin.com

94 / 100

par Tim Atkin MW le 07/05/2014

There was no Petit Verdot in 2013 (the blend was 49% Merlot and 51% Cabernet Sauvignon), but this is still an impressive, deeply coloured Palmer made in a classic Margaux style. Spicy, medium weight and silkily tannin with subtle black fruits and fresh acidity.

matthewjukes.com

17 / 20

par Matthew Jukes le 23/04/2014

(51 Cabernet Sauvignon, 49 Merlot) There is much more volume and richness on the nose than the second wine Alter Ego (see below) but unfortunately its accompanied by dusty tannins and too many green notes! Granted the colour is dark and glossy thanks to the lower than normal fermentation temperatures but I can’t see it balancing out fully. They are using 60% new oak and reckon on only 16 months to retain freshness. There is very little production (3800 cases) this year. Aside from the velvety Burgundian texture and black cherry fruit this is not an overly complex wine but it is very pretty.

Jancis Robinson

17,5 / 20

par Richard Hemmings le 22/04/2014

51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot. 50% new oak. Dark, meaty, dense fruit. Pretty tense and compact on the palate. There is a certain lightness here, but the Margaux style suits this reasonably well. Less expressive than the Alter Ego, and with just the faintest touch of bitterness. Gentle sandiness to the tannin.

Vinous

90-92 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 17/04/2014

Dark red cherry, plum, cloves and menthol wrap around the palate in the 2013 Palmer, a wine that impresses for its richness and resonance, within the context of the year, of course. The 2013 is a very pretty Palmer that should drink well early. Violets, flowers and cassis notes linger on the gentle, perfumed finish. The blend is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Merlot.

My Bettane + Desseauve

17,5 / 20

le 15/04/2014

Parfaite couleur, grande suavité de texture, tannin ultra civilisé, grande longueur, un modèle de Margaux et de naturel dans la grandeur.

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/04/2014

A blend of 49% Merlot and 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Palmer 2013 certainly has more fruit intensity on the nose compared to the Alter Ego. A little more opulent, there is a sense of plushness typical of Palmer with oodles of black cherries, cassis and blueberries - hints of dried violet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. The acidity is nicely judged with a fine masculine, swarthy finish that shows more length than the Alter Ego. This is a good effort from the Palmer team - what you might call a "swish" Margaux in the making.

Decanter.com

17,75 / 20

par Steven Spurrier le 14/04/2014

Very good depth of fruit, almost severe for Palmer, described as 'super precise,  what nature gave us'. Very good for the long term

Jamessuckling.com

92-93 / 100

par James Suckling le 08/04/2014

This is very solid for the vintage, with blackberry, dark chocolate and blackcurrants. Full body with firm, chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Muscular wine for the vintage. 51% cabernet sauvignon and 49% merlot. 3,800 cases of this wine compared to 9,000 in a normal year.      

Wine Spectator

90-93 / 100

par James Molesworth le 03/04/2014

This has a good mouthfilling feel, with dark plum and blackberry fruit layered with charcoal, roasted cedar and dark tobacco leaf notes. The structure is there, but it’s nicely folded in on the finish, with a smoldering iron note. Tasted non-blind. —J.M.

René Gabriel

18 / 20

par René Gabriel le 03/04/2014

49 % Merlot, 46 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 8 % Petit Verdot. 25 hl/ha. Eine extrem kleine Ernte mit etwa 45'000 Flaschen. Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Floral im vielschichtigen Ansatz, dahinter dropsige Noten, Damassinepflaumen, Brombeergelee, mittlere Tiefe anzeigend. Samtener Gaumen, wieder erstaunlich viel blaue und schwarze Beeren, im zart körnigen Extrakt,

Wine Enthusiast

95-97 / 100

par Roger Voss le 31/03/2014

This is a complex, structured, smoothly textured wine. It has more power and density than many wines in the vintage, with blackberry and black currant fruit coming through strongly. The result is a wine that’s balanced and structured. This is for long-term aging.