Palmer Margaux 2016

100 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Technical Director Thomas Duroux and his team made one of the most brilliant wines of the 2016 vintage. Palmer is simply exceptional. Rich and dramatically sweeping in the glass, the 2016 is breathtaking. All the elements simply fall into place in a wine of mesmerizing beauty. The counterpoint of dark, sumptuous fruit and floral notes makes for an utterly compelling Palmer that will take its place among the estate's finest vintages. Dark cherry, lavender, spice and mocha are some of the many notes that build into a deep, substantial finish that is truly unforgettable. In a word: magnificent! Drink: 2026-2066. (Jan 2019)"

100 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The finest vintage I’ve ever tasted from this estate, surpassing the 2009 and 2010, the 2016 Château Palmer is a blend of 47% each of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Petit Verdot, all of which was brought up in 65% new French oak. This magical effort reveals a saturated purple color as well as a huge nose of crème de cassis, graphite, crushed rocks, and spring flowers, and it develops beautifully with time in the glass. Full-bodied, deep, incredibly concentrated and powerful, it nevertheless just glides over the palate with flawless purity and balance, present, ripe tannins, and a finish that just won’t quit. This is Bordeaux at its most regal and classic. It will be drinkable with just 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for half a century. Drink: 2023-2073. (2/28/19)"

100 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot). Just hover your nose over the glass to get excited about this wine. Inky purple in colour, cigar box, tobacco bud, pencil lead, tight cassis and bilberry fruit. Where the 2015 is generous, the 2016 is tighter, less expressive at the five year mark, but with layers and potential to fire up an entire room. Has the structure and the chiselled fruit that signposts great Bordeaux in an exceptional vintage, with the nuanced whisper of violet and peony that takes you to the Margaux appellation. Powerful and muscular, still austere but the morieish juice on the finish tells you how much this has to give over the next few decades. Harvest October 3 to 18. Gets better every time you go back to it. 60% new oak. Alcohol 14%. Drink: 2026-2052. (12/7/21)"

100 points/'Top 100 Cellar Selections 2019,' Wine Enthusiast: "Powerful tannins and hugely rich fruit balance together in this superb wine. The velvet texture belies the power behind the concentrated, ripe black-fruit flavor, with vibrant acidity giving ample lift. The wine's structure will ensure aging for many years. Drink from 2024. Alcohol 13.5%. (May 2019)"

100 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Still showing the color of a barrel sample, the wine is full bodied, silky, polished, fresh, vibrant and pure. The wine tastes as if you ran into the vineyard and grabbed a handful of grapes off the vine, and you ate them just moments before they were crushed. The fruit has so much purity, energy and sensuality, it is impossible not to go back to the glass for another sniff, swirl and sip. Another interesting point is the addition of a gentle chalky minerality in the finish, adding a beautiful layer to the complexity. This is easily one of the great vintages of Chateau Palmer and will age for decades with no effort."

99 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "The grand vin is 47% each Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with 6% Petit Verdot making up the balance, and this wine took about half the harvest. This reflects the proportions of the varieties as planted in the vineyard. The élevage was in oak, using 60% to 70% new oak, where the wine rested for 21 months. It has a very dark, floral, but brooding style, with black cherry and black olive fruits, showing some sweet and lightly caramelised edges. Alongside this there is also a perfumed hint of mineral, of crushed rock and chalk dust. The palate feels so complete, dark, polished and substantial, certainly sinewy, broad, correct and fresh, with a fine seam of very tightly knit tannins swirled beneath the dark fruits. This feels just so pure and polished, broad and rich, yet also sinewy and taut, and perfumed with the scents of rosebuds and grilled praline oak. There comes a huge flourish of tannins at the finish, which go on and on through the length. This is an excellent style, with stunning concentration and a silky, sinewy, velvety texture. Well done Thomas and team. (Dec 2018)"

98+ points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "The 2016 Palmer is a blend of 47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. Opaque garnet-purple colored, it slowly glides out of the glass with compelling notes of blueberry compote, warm cassis and kirsch with emerging hints of violets, cigar box, black tea, sandalwood and Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, wonderfully rich, concentrated and packed with latent energy, the palate literally grows in the mouth, revealing layer upon layer of black, blue and red fruits and tons of floral sparks, framed by super ripe, incredibly fine-grained tannins and finishing with epic length. It’s a wine that makes you wanna drape yourself languidly over a chaise lounge, glass of Palmer in hand, sighing with deep satisfaction, 'This is so wonderfully Palmer.' Drink: 2024-2060. (Nov 2018)"

98 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2016 Palmer has a generous, slightly lactic bouquet of opulent red fruit infused with touches of dark chocolate, although it calms down and gains more grace with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and well-judged acidity. Very harmonious, revealing cedar and mint toward the extraordinarily persistent finish. This is another classy, persistent Margaux with a long future ahead. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. Drink: 2026-2070. (Aug 2020)"

98 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "As is always the case with Palmer, the richness, depth and silkiness is just so impressive. Sophisticated and well constructed, with a vertical lift-off, there's a creamy richness on the palate which supports pencil-lead, liquorice, damson, black cherry and slate. I love the smoky cocoa bean finish. Like the Alter Ego, it's a different style this year but no less impressive, displaying width, heft and incredible persistency. It's a wine that's going to age far into the future and is extremely easy to recommend. The highest ever proportion of grand vin was produced in 2016. Drinking Window: 2025-2042. (Oct 2018)"

98 points James Suckling: "Such attractive fruit and alluring ripeness that it draws you in from the get-go. The discreet power here is delivered with a very astute touch. Assorted dark-berry aromas, as well as red plums, abound on the nose. The richness and depth in the mouth is stunning. The tannins are super polished and layered and they draw pristine dark fruit flavors deep into the finish in effortless mode. This is a star of the vintage. A blend of 47 per cent merlot, 47 per cent cabernet sauvignon and six per cent petit verdot. Try from 2024. (12/3/19)"