Château Palmer is named after a British officer, Major General Palmer, who settled in Bordeaux in 1814. It is the top estate of the Margaux appellation after Château Margaux.

Palmer is classified as a 3ème Cru Classé and was established as a Super Second long before Léoville Las Cases, Ducru-Beaucaillou and Pichon-Lalande, and in some years (1961, 1966, and 1983) it is as good as any wine in Bordeaux. Palmer’s relatively high Merlot content makes Palmer the closest in style of any leading Médoc properties to the great wines of Pomerol and St-Emilion.

Vineyard – It is located in the centre of the Margaux appellation, and its vineyards lie on a sparse gravel plateau.

Blend – Cabernet Sauvignon 56%, Merlot 44%

Vintage 2006 – Hide and seek. Between drought and rain, the terroir reacted well to the fickle weather. Thanks to conditions sufficiently clement to allow good vine growth and grape development, the result expressed the terroir’s natural style.

Deep red-ruby. Aromas of blackberry, licorice, minerals, flowers and peat, with some chocolatey oak emerging with air. Juicy and silky on the palate, with lovely clarity and inner-mouth perfume to its flavors of black fruits, minerals and iris. Finishes long and firmly structured, with intriguing soil tones and lovely floral lift

Wine Advocate – 94 points

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Palmer was wonderful out of barrel ten years ago and now in bottle, it fulfills its promise with a stunning, precise bouquet of maraschino, iodine, cassis and tobacco scents that seem a few years younger than its Margaux peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin that cloak its sweet core of cassis and blackcurrant fruit. However, what is so striking is the finesse of the tannin and just how well that oak is subsumed into the fabric of the wine. This is a long-term proposition: a great Margaux from Thomas Duroux. Tasted January 2016.

Wine Enthusiast – 94 points

A big, brooding wine, the fruit ripe and dense. Richness surrounds structure, giving a sumptuous layer to the dusty tannins. Flavors of currants, spice and juicy berries flow through the wine, giving power and suavity. The freshness of 2006 shows on the finish of this important wine.

Decanter – 94 points

This was another maligned Bordeaux vintage, and there was certainly enough rain in September and early October to cause concern. But Cabernet Sauvignon ripens late, and could be picked after the October rain. Tannins can be tough, but the vintage would be more highly regarded had it not followed the superb 2005. Palmer produced a beautiful wine with sweet juicy blackcurrant aromas that are perfumed and lifted. Fortunately the tannins are refined, and the palate overall is poised and balanced, showing ripe black fruits and fine balancing acidity. The long finish assures further ageing potential

Wine Spectator – 93 points

Coffee, plum and spices on the nose follow through to a full body, with lovely fruit and a soft, silky-textured finish. Very balanced and beautiful, with lots of violet, new wood and richness. Long. Needs time