2018 Chateau Palmer Margaux 750 ml

This flawless wine is a powerful and elegant reminder of the caliber of Château Palmer. Their winemaker and CEO Thomas Duroux told us that it takes a bottle of Palmer a decade to reach its full measure of aromatic complexity, and this one is just about to tiptoe into its prime. 

With a history dating back to the 17th century, Palmer is seen by many as an honorary First Growth, despite technically being classified as a Third Growth in 1855. Its trademark aromatic delicacy and soft elegance can be traced to the estate’s higher proportion of Merlot (planted on the best gravel parcels), basically matching the amount planted to Cabernet Sauvignon—a rare practice on the Left Bank that makes Palmer a standout.

Since coming on in 2004, Duroux—a protégé of Robert Mondavi who previously oversaw Italy’s Ornellaia—has become one of our favorite brains to pick in Bordeaux. Bespectacled and soft-spoken, he’s a quiet innovator who isn’t afraid of testing hidebound Médoc tradition in pursuit of the best wine. When he was first called in for an interview, he showed up wearing jeans!

Duroux has transformed Palmer into one of Bordeaux’s few entirely biodynamic estates. He has embraced the property’s soil diversity, matching different approaches with vine age and rootstock to the 16 types of soil. The result has been a succession of vintages in which Duroux managed the impossible feat of balancing richness with freshness, power with grace. 

This 2018 Palmer, like Neal Martin said, is unlike anything else in wine. We hope you are lucky enough to take a bottle home.