Very perfumed and subtle with dried flowers and citrus, as well as blue fruit. Full-bodied with wonderfully diffused, integrated tannins that just run over the edges of the wine. It’s extremely polished and very, very long. Fresh and bright. Energetic finish. A thoughtful wine. A blend of 54% merlot, 42% cabernet sauvignon and 4% petit verdot.

A blend of 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Palmer gives a very serious nose of pronounced blackcurrant cordial, warm plums and blackberry preserves with hints of cedar chest, pencil shavings, violets, dark chocolate and star anise plus exotic wafts of sandalwood and cassia. Medium-bodied, the palate features fantastically vibrant, crunchy black fruits with a firm texture of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced. It will need a good 5-7 years to really blossom with all those tightly wound nuances, but it should be a stunner! LPB

Beautifully powerful and precise with great depth and character to the fruit, despite the austerity that is more evident now than it was during En Primeur as the wine has begun bed down. These tannins are finely boned but they are plentiful, providing strength in numbers. Bottled end of August after 21 months of ageing. Clearly going to age well, this has concentration, intensity and seriousness where the Alter Ego is more gourmet. A precise and intellectual Palmer, a very fine example of the wine, with a sense of place and a purity to the fruit expression. Drinking Window 2024 - 2048
Blind tasted by Jane Anson (at Lascombes, 21 Nov 2019)
Part of Margaux 2017: Top wines re-tasted after bottling

Flowers, exotic spice, black cherry, plum and licorice are announced as soon as the wine the hits the glass. Sensuous, sexy, silky and finesse driven, the red and dark fruits express a purity from start to finish. Give it five to ten years to gain softness and nuance. The wine was made from 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. The harvest took place September 20 to September 29 and the wine reached 13.2% with a pH 3.75. Fifty-five percent of the harvest was used to produce the Grand Vin and 15 hectares of vines, which normally go into Alter Ego were damaged by the frost. Tasted April 2018

The grand vin 2017 Chateau Palmer checks in as 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot brought up in 60% new French oak. This deep purple-colored beauty gives up more cassis fruits as well as hints of chocolate, graphite, smoked herbs, and crushed violets. Beautifully concentrated, rich, and full-bodied, it has a wonderful sense of elegance and purity, laser-like precision, building tannins, and a great finish. Give bottles a solid 7-8 years and it's going to evolve for 25-30 years or more.

The 2017 Palmer was the first vintage when Thomas Duroux introduced wooden foudres. Around 60 hectoliters of the blend was used in the following vintage. It has a very elegant bouquet, a Palmer content to cruise in fourth gear, blackberry and boysenberry fruit, touches of clove and pressed flowers emerging with time, this is a well-defined nose with beautifully integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins. There is a lovely bead of acidity, dark berry fruit, slightly grainy in texture with a tangy saline finish. This is a very classic Palmer that should drink well for 20-30 years. Excellent. www.vinous.com

All the elements of the château come through beautifully in the 2017 Palmer. Dark, succulent and inviting, Palmer expresses the forward, fresh style of the year very nicely. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, chocolate and dark spice notes fill out the wine's frame effortlessly. The 2017 is an understated wine of great promise. I can't wait to taste it from bottle. The blend is 54% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Technical Director Thomas Duroux told me his team harvested all the fruit in nine days as opposed to the more typical 2-3 weeks. The 2017s were done with no SO2 at crush. Duroux stopped the pumpovers early and favored gentle extractions. Both wines are in the 13-13.2 range of finished alcohol.
Vinous.com, May 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. Tight and closed, deep and dense but not giving up much fruit. Palate is robust and firm with sweet fruit and a rumbling mineral undertone. Sweeping, pure finish carried by fresh acidity. All natural yeast and minimal SO2. There is enty of energy here for a very happy future development ahead. - April 2018

This is solidly ripe, with juicy energy adding extra lift to the mix of plum, cherry and blackberry fruit. A super-fresh iron streak checks in, along with mouthwatering bay and savory notes. This stands out from the pack. - James Molesworth, winespectator.com, April 2018

Black core. A little smoky and reduced, more closed/restrained than the Alter Ego. Tannins are firm but so fluid. The tannins are somehow deceptive, they seem so velvety. Very fresh, subtle and extremely persistent. Incredibly pure, and very long. So fluid (though I have to be careful because apparently fluide in French means 'dilute') and incredibly elegant. - Julia Harding, jancisrobinson.com, April 2018