At this point in Palmer’s history, the estate was being run by Peter Sichel, and was under the ownership of, as today, the Sichel and Mahler-Besse families. You can clearly tell that the heatwave in July, and the hot dry harvest (although with a damp August and ealy September) suited these grapes. The aromatics are still sedutively rich, the colour more brick-tinged than the 1983. Soft end of summer raspberries, along with clear iodine notes that give a saline lick on the finish. 3% Petit Verdot finishes the blend. Harvest September 15 to October 5. Drinking Window 2018 - 2040.Decanter | 97 DECFull, deep red. Spicy aromas of cassis and rose petal, with a whiff of meat. Then wonderfully penetrating and classy, with bright acidity giving the wine superb clarity and thrust. This has terrific structure. Finishes very long and fine, with excellent grip. By far the finest bottle I’ve tasted to date of this wine, and one of the real surprises of the tasting. (My second bottle showed roasted redcurrant, leather, meat and smoky oak on the nose; and a sweet, suave, broad palate without quite the structure and grip of the first sample. But this wine, too, offered compelling sweetness and rated 91 points.) Drink now through 2015.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Palmer) The 1982 vintage at Château Palmer produced a very good wine, and though it is not one of the legendary examples of either the vintage, or the last quarter century at this outstanding property, it has never stopped me from immensely enjoying my bottles of the ’82 Palmer. This most recent bottle is fully mature, complex, perfumed and beautifully balanced, wafting from the glass in a refined blend of mulberries, cherries, cigar smoke, dark soil tones, violets and summer truffles. On the palate the wine is plush on the attack, full-bodied and easy-going stylistically, with slightly low acids, good, but certainly not great depth at the core, but lovely focus and grip on the complex, meltingly tannic and immensely satisfying finish. This is just a whisper fluide at the core compared to vintages like 1983 or 1989, but it is still a lovely example of this inimitable terroir and a very worthy wine. (Drink between 2017-2040)John Gilman | 92 JGTasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the magnum of 1982 Château Palmer is one of the best examples that I have tasted, even if it is no match for the 1983. It is a little curmudgeonly at first, perhaps slightly pinched, but it unfolds nicely and reveals quite mineral-rich, soy-tinged black fruit interlaced with graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin lending this backbone. It is missing some weight towards the finish, but as it opens in the glass, it reveals hidden facets such as tobacco and tertiary notes, allied with poise and finesse. Granted, it falls short of what could have been given the benevolent vintage and quality of its peers, however this magnum suggests that in larger formats might be worth seeking out. Tasted May 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMA well-crafted red with beautiful structure. Dark ruby-garnet in color, with a lot of violet and earth aromas. Full-bodied, with loads of silky tannins and a long, sweet fruit finish. Has always been outstanding.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WS
