Palmer 2010

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux 2010 tasting. The Chateau Palmer 2010 has a more extrovert bouquet than its peers, with blackberry and raspberry fruit interlaced with camphor - exuberant and showy. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannins. There is a lot of extraction here, plenty of volume with a thickly layered, almost mellifluous finish that belies that structure underneath. There is a touch of Szechuan pepper lingering on the aftertaste. This is a very assured and sumptuous Palmer. Tasted January 2014.

robert_parker97

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2010 Palmer, which is 50% Merlot and the rest mostly Cabernet Sauvignon except for 6% Petit Verdot, is a huge, inky/purple-colored wine with notes of camphor, incense, blackberry, espresso roast, and subtle barbecue smoke. Extremely full-bodied and unbelievably powerful (14.5% natural alcohol, but with a rather standard pH of 3.75), this wine is going to be one of the great classics ever to emerge from this iconic chateau. It is extremely tannic, but the tannins are eclipsed by the extravagant concentration of fruit, unctuosity, and density of this wine. This will be a Chateau Palmer to put away for 10 years and drink over the following 40+.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2010 Palmer is a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, delivering 14.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.65. This has a very pure bouquet where the Cabernet Sauvignon is again, dominating the aromatics: blackberry, boysenberry and a touch of graphite. The palate is full-bodied with mineral-rich black fruits, very linear and focused, but there is just a touch of alcohol blurring the finish and taken the edge off it its precision. Tasted March 2011.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted at the chateau. The Palmer 2010 is much stricter and more linear than the Alter Ego – indeed this year, I think there is quite a difference between the two. Even though the Cabernet is in the minority, it still exerts great influence over the aromatics with blackcurrant, briary and a touch of graphite (rendering it again, quite Pauillac-like in style.) The palate is medium-bodied with a rich, generous opening: black cherries, dates, liquorice and a touch of aniseed. The tannins and slightly chewy at the moment and will need taming with bottle age, whilst the finish is sweet, long and melodramatic. This is a relatively flamboyant 2010 that should age with style. Tasted November 2012.

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2010 Palmer is one of the superstars of the vintage, a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, which is just slightly different than what I indicated two years ago. The alcohol level hit 14.5%, and the wine comes across like a more stacked-and-packed version of their 2000. It is tannic and backward, but has a sensational black/purple color and a gorgeous nose of camphor, barbecue smoke, blackberry and cassis. Full-bodied, with oodles of glycerin but a relatively healthy pH, this wine has a precision and freshness that belie its lofty alcohol and extravagant concentration. This is a sensationally rich, full-throttle Palmer that could well end up being one of the all-time great wines made at this estate. It needs a good 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 50 or more years. There’s no question that Thomas Duroux and the staff at Palmer are producing wines of first-growth quality, and have been for nearly a decade.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the estate team regard the 2010 Château Palmer as their best since the 1983. This showing did nothing to suggest otherwise. It offers stunning precision on the nose: incredibly fresh and vibrant with the same spine-tingling level of mineralité as the 2005. What they both share is a Pauillac-like graphite seam that runs from start to finish. Like the 2005, there is a beguiling symmetry here, more focused and linear than the sumptuous 2009, yet with sensational length that makes you wonder what on Earth it will taste like in another 10-15 years. I would keep this in your cellar for another decade at least and it may well merit a higher score down the line. Tasted May 2015.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Palmer rolls out of the glass with warm cassis, baked plums and boysenberries scents plus hints of candied violets, star anise and dried bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is generously fruited, with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long.

vinous93

Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata

(a blend of 54% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 6% petit verdot; 90 IPT; 3.66 pH; 14.5 % alcohol) Deep ruby-red. Captivatingly deep, brooding aromas of blackcurrant, violet and dried herbs. Rich, suave and fine-grained, with delicate blackberry, cassis and mineral flavors. In a distinctly elegant style thanks to lively harmonious acids. The broad, long, palate-coating finish offers mounting chewy tannins delivered with a light touch. This is a massive Palmer that in spite its high content of merlot and alcohol is less fleshy and generous than other Palmer vintages at a similar stage of development. But that high merlot content may also be responsible for a hint of greenness in the tannins.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2010 Palmer has an outgoing, intense and multifaceted bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry, crushed violets and hints of cassis - your quintessential Margaux turned up to eleven. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Headier than its Margaux peers, it builds in the mouth with a complex, marine-tinged finish with cracked black pepper lingering on the aftertaste. This is an outstanding Palmer but it needs more time in bottle. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

Bright, deep medium ruby. Exotic, expressive nose offers blueberry, black cherry, violet, bitter chocolate, licorice, smoke and spices, with a subtle leather nuance in the deep background. The tightly coiled, penetrating palate offers uncanny density without weight, with dark berry and floral flavors enlivened by deep minerality. A wine of outstanding clarity, energy and class. The extremely long, mounting finish displays serious, ripe tannins that reach the incisors, and great clinging minerality and verve. This extraordinary young Palmer should go on for decades.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2010 Palmer has an outgoing, intense and multifaceted bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry, crushed violets and hints of cassis - your quintessential Margaux turned up to eleven. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Headier than its Margaux peers, it builds in the mouth with a complex, marine-tinged finish with cracked black pepper lingering on the aftertaste. This is an outstanding Palmer but it needs more time in bottle. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.

james_suckling98

Reviewed by: James Suckling

A purity of fruit here with plum and dark chocolate undertones. Spices and treacle tart as well. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Very fine indeed. Fit, fruity and reserved. Superb. Try in 2020.