Palmer - Margaux 2014

Decanter.com

97

par Georgina Hindle le 27/06/2024

Quite vivid aromatics on the nose, deep and heady, blue fruit, peppercorns, liquorice and cocoa powder. Fruity and really quite dense in terms of chewiness and flavour. Stands out in the line up for being forward, lifted, intense and powerful, grippy and alive. Excellent presentation and character. Feels youthful and fresh, but it's the texture and sense of weight and the long finish that really makes this wine stand out. A great showing for Palmer with a long life ahead.

Vinous

93

par Neal Martin le 02/04/2024

The 2014 Palmer has an attractive bouquet with red berry fruit, cedar, undergrowth and veins of blue fruit. This opens nicely in the glass, but I certainly would not classify it as one of Palmer's more opulent aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with powdery tannins, mainly red fruit intermixed with white pepper, cedar and orange rind. Linear in style, this is a Palmer that doesn't want to show off and remains within the limitations of the growing season. It should offer another 20 years of drinking pleasure. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.

The Wine Independent

94

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 05/03/2024

Deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 Palmer features evocative scents of stewed plums, blackberry preserves, and garrigue with hints of leather, Indian spices, and underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock full of black fruit preserves and exotic spice notes framed by plush tannins, finishing long and opulent.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

94

par Jane Anson le 01/02/2024

Beautifully poised, with spiced damson and raspberry fruits, higher acidity than you find in the 2015 or 2016, juicy and just about opening up to drink. Has the generous floral character of a maturing Palmer, where the peony and roses start to take off through the mid palate, hovering above the berry fruits, layering up with complexity, thoroughly enjoyable. A good 10 to 15 years ahead of pleasure. This was the 200th anniversary vintage since General Charles Palmer bought the wine estate from Madame de Gascq. Harvest September 22 to October 14, 60% new oak.

Vinous

92

par Neal Martin le 28/03/2018

The 2014 Palmer has a clean and fresh blackberry, raspberry and cedar scented bouquet, not complex but nicely detailed. It just needs more personality to develop. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannin, a touch of espresso on the entry tincturing the red berry fruit, saline with a dash of white pepper on the finish. It is not an imposing Margaux, not the longest potentially lived, but it is well crafted. It would not surprise me if this Palmer is beginning to close down after bottling. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95

par Jeb Dunnuck le 30/11/2017

Jamessuckling.com

95

par James Suckling le 16/02/2017

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

par James Molesworth le 08/02/2017

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

par Antonio Galloni le 06/02/2017

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

par Jacques Dupont le 21/05/2015

- 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

par Antonio Galloni le 11/05/2015

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

par Jeff Leve le 05/05/2015

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

par Neal Martin le 30/04/2015

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

par Jancis Robinson le 20/04/2015

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.   13.5%Drink 2023-2040

Asian Palate

92-94

par Jeannie Cho Lee MW le 20/04/2015

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

par Steven Spurrier le 17/04/2015

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

par James Suckling le 10/04/2015

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

par Tim Atkin MW le 07/04/2015

René Gabriel

18

par René Gabriel le 01/04/2015

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

par Roger Voss le 01/04/2015

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.   — R.V. (3/31/2015)

Wine Spectator

93-96

par James Molesworth le 30/03/2015

This is reserved in profile now, with crushed red and black currant fruit and lightly singed alder notes. Yet the core iscoiled, 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.