Bottled relatively late in mid-September 2017, the 2015 Palmer is a blend of 44% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon with a small portion of Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it offers vibrant red currants, black cherries, wild blueberries, earth and mineral characteristics to begin, with slowly unfurling floral notes of violets and dried roses plus compelling baker’s chocolate and fragrant earth layers. Medium to full-bodied, generously fruited and possessing firm yet very, very fine-grained, mind-blowingly ripe tannins, the multifaceted palate features something of a skip in its step in terms of freshness, while it goes beguilingly earthy on the finish with some mineral hints. Very classy, elegant and sophisticated, this vintage is downright regal in its juxtaposition between poise and audaciousness. Think 2005 Palmer with a tick more fruit intensity, perfume and passion. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Interim Issue Mid-February 2018, The Wine Advocate

The 2015 Palmer is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot with around 14.1% alcohol, a little higher than usual. It is much more backward on the nose than the Alter Ego and demanded coaxing from the glass, eventually revealing scents of blackberry, cassis, boysenberry, crushed stone and a touch of vanilla pod, beautifully defined with a brooding sense of power. I suspect that this will be no shy and retiring violet when it reaches full maturity. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins that caress the mouth on the entry, and it is a voluminous Palmer, not heavy but multifaceted. Black fruits are laced with oyster shell, hints of allspice and crushed stone, delivering a crescendo toward an intense finish that this château has specialized in under winemaker Thomas Duroux. It will require at least a decade in bottle, but I probably agree with the estate that it will last many decades. Superb...but only for the patient. Anticipated maturity: 2025 - 2065.

– eRobertParker.com, Feb 2018

Six months from the last time I tasted this wine and it is a little more closed than it was, as the 2015s begin to retreat inwards for a few years. Still no mistaking the quality of this vintage, and it remains a brilliant Palmer, that is equal to the greatest years. Still extremely young, with rich, deep textured fruits, tons of blueberry and raspberry fruits, all expressed with clarity and purity. Grilled cedar, liquorice and crushed stone minerality. Harvest September 22 to October 7. At this point the estate was fully in conversion for certification, working 100% organically and biodynamically. Drinking Window: 2025 - 2045
Tasted by: Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 29 Nov 2020)
Part of Anson: Tasting Château Palmer wines across three decades

The 2015 Palmer is a wine of total refinement and class. All the elements are wonderfully meshed together, as they always have been from the very start. Dark black cherry, plum, mocha, licorice, spice and leather notes are all seamless in the glass. The tannins are present, but they are silky and pretty much buried by the sheer luxuriousness of the fruit. Palmer is one of the most complete and harmonious wines of 2015. This is a brilliant effort from Thomas Duroux and his team. vinous.com, February 2018

Without doubt the closest pretender to the crown of Margaux, Palmer produces a distinctive style typically containing more Merlot than many of its neighbours. Very tight and restrained on the nose. Brooding. White flower and minerality. Voluptuous and round in the mouth but held in check by firm, ripe tannins and vibrant acidity. Layered with ripe fruit and floral characters, it keeps giving new fruit characters – plus roasted meat, mocha, pure dark plum and cherry. Finish goes on and on. (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot.)

A really massive step above Alter Ego on the nose. Really fresh and polished. Lovely bramble fruit. Not that dense but really complete and beautifully balanced. Silky tannins. Real drive and lift towards the end. Very Margaux. 14.1%. Drink 2023-2040.

– jancisrobinson.com, Apr 2016

This is extraordinary. The wine is so silky, it is effortless to taste and drink. The fruits paint your palate. But the wine is light on its feet. Sensuous, sexy and racy, the fruit offers a melange of red and black cherries, plums. In the finish you find a griotte sensation that sticks with you for close to 60 seconds. This perfect mix of elegance and purity should age effortlessly for decades. Tasted May 2018

I am breathless with the dark-berry, lavender and burnt-orange aromas. Some salt. Just so formidable and deep. Stunningly sexy on the palate with a density and power, yet it leaves things so clean and bright. You want to drink it and enjoy it now, but it has the structure to last forever. Drink in 2022.