Chateau Palmer Grand Vin De Château Palmer (Grand Cru Classé) 2008 - 1500ml

Château Palmer is in the heart of the Margaux appellation, 66 hectares of gravelly soil and grassy rows overlooking the Gironde estuary.

Chateau Palmer was called the Domaine de Gasq in the 18th century and belonged to Madame de Gasq. In 1814, it was bought by the British lieutenant-colonel Charles Palmer who gave the Chateau it's name.

The Château Palmer then had a succession of owners. After the Second World War, it belongs to the Sichel and Mähler-Besse families. One of the heirs, Bertrand Bouteiller, took over the management in 1999.

Since 2004, the administration of Château Palmer has been entrusted to Thomas Duroux by the heir shareholders of the real estate company.

Between this earth rich in ancient history, and these heavenly skies with their nurturing microclimate, vines flourish under the care of men and women.

One terroir, three grape varieties: such is the horizon of Château Palmer.

The complexity of the terroir is expressed in the wines of Château Palmer. Parcel by parcel, the estate’s teams must nurture it daily. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, protected and enriched by nature in all its diversity, develop notes of fruit, flowers and spice. Never exuberance – on the contrary, with each passing year, ever greater harmony, and length omnipresent. Aromatic richness, powerful tannins, and between them – velvet.

Château Palmer red takes up the proportions of the estate's grape varieties in its blend. It is the major wine of the château, and has won many awards. It constitutes an excellent wine for ageing.

This first wine of Château Palmer offers an exceptional aromatic richness. The wine is renowned for its balance and the power of its tannins which is always balanced.

It offers dark plum, mulled currant and blackberry notes, with flashes of roasted apple wood and maduro tobacco, plus cocoa and espresso. There's nicely rounded flesh and a long, integrated finish that has some extra grip. Clearly apart from the Margaux pack in 2008.

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (194), May 2011

A stunning success for the vintage, and possibly the Margaux of the year, this wine, which achieved 13.5% natural alcohol, is a blend of 51% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot. Loads of barbecue smoke, licorice, incense, blackberry, new saddle leather and forest floor notes jump from the glass of this dense, purple-colored wine. Extraordinarily intense and full-bodied, with plenty of tannin, but not the formidable structure of the 2010, this is going to be one of the longest-lived wines of 2008. It is full, rich, layered, and should be reasonably approachable with 3-4 years of bottle age, and will also keep for 30+ years. Drink 2014-2044.

Awards :

96 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

95 Robert Parker The Wine Advocate

94 Wine Enthusiast

91 Wine Spectator

17.5/20 Bettane et Desseauve

18/20 Jancis Robinson