2004 Palmer

Wine Details
Producer

Palmer

Place of Origin

France

Bordeaux

Color

Red

Grape/Blend

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot (2023 vintage)

Reviews & Tasting Notes

00

Drinking Window

2023 - 2030

Subscriber Access Only

Log In or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

00

Drinking Window

2022 - 2032

Subscriber Access Only

Log In or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

00

Subscriber Access Only

Log In or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

This was a fascinating visit in April, as I came here from Chateau Margaux, where most of the merlot was left out of the grand vin and the final blend was a full 90% cabernet sauvignon. At Palmer, the 2006 features 44% merlot and I had the impression that the merlot here was about as good as this variety got in the Medoc in 2006. (This should not come as a surprise, because Chateau Margaux's finest terroirs are planted to cabernet, while Palmer's best-drained, gravelly soils, more often reserved for cabernet elsewhere in the Medoc, are reserved for its merlot.) In fact, manager Thomas Duroux described the merlot in 2006 as "a great surprise" and said that he underrated it at the outset. Some rain at the end of August expanded the berries and the skins became fragile during the heat of early September, he told me. Ultimately the merlot was picked earlier than was originally expected (beginning on September 19), and the extraction was lighter than normal, and at a cooler fermentation temperature. "Early on I was convinced that this would be a classic cabernet vintage, with a high percentage of sauvignon," said Duroux. But although the merlot was less dense than it had been in 2005, Duroux felt that this variety added flesh to the cabernet sauvignon without compromising the purity of the wine. On the other hand, Duroux declassified the petit verdot into the estate's second wine, Alter Ego, as he felt it was aromatic but not sufficiently structured.

00

Subscriber Access Only

Log In or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

"We picked on the taste of the grapes, beginning only on September 22," said Thomas Duroux. "At that point we discovered that the sugar levels were very high. And the cabernet came in during the first week of October; we waited a long time for the tannins to mature." With Palmer (and the estate's second wine, Alter Ego) weighing in at about 14% alcohol, the highest level ever recorded at this property, long-time Palmer fans may not know quite what to do with the 2005. But this extraordinarily dense, thick and seamless wine is going to give pleasure for upwards of three decades. Incidentally, Duroux told me that the estate loved its merlot in 2005, especially for its balance. The crop level at Palmer was a very low 32 hectoliters per hectare in 2005, and, thanks to the later harvesting, the IPT an unusually high 75. Duroux added 8% press wine to the blend "for fruit."

00

Subscriber Access Only

Log In or Sign Up

You'll Find The Article Name Here

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

Thomas Duroux, previously in charge of Ornellaia, took over as manager of Palmer in July, just in time to preside over drastic elimination of clusters and the removal of the lateral shoots, especially in the merlot vines. The focus of the work in the vineyards, as well as the work in the winery, has been on improving the quality of tannins. Duroux describes 2004 as "a classic fresh vintage," and his first wine will be a strong debut.