This was a good, not great vintage for Palmer, fine but relatively light, and I only recently realized we still had a bottle left from Sally’s case (Sally owns all of the Chateau Palmer as well as all of the Tokaji; the rest of the wines are mine). She agreed we could have it with the standing rib roast for Christmas dinner.
I brought it up from the cold basement Christmas morning and stood it up. Fill was vvts, the cork came out cleanly. Decanted and poured right away.
Light to medium ruby color. Aromas are surprisingly fresh, but tender, red currants, black cherries, forest and graphite nuances and a hint of ripe age at the back. The palate is light to medium in body, savory but delicate, with a bit of acidity poking through at the finish. The are some plummy notes, a tiny herbal hint, just enough breadth to stand up to the beef, wild rice, peas and potatos of a dinner not quite as gargantuan as Thanksgiving. The finish is also delicate, but very long. There is nothing at all tertiary about this. The evolution has all been in the texture, the flavors are not unlike what I remember from the last bottle, probably ~8 years ago. The balance is really noteworthy. I think this could age for years (although I would not do it) and just get lighter in body until it became ethereal, but still fresh. I’ve had old Bordeaux that has evolved this way before. Rated 91 points. A total pleasure, although in the future I will open wines with more body for meals this rich.
Dan Kravitz