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(Château Palmer) The 1981 vintage at Château Palmer is really lovely middleweight and a wine that offers up lovely sappiness at the core to go along with very refined aromatic complexity. The bouquet is a lovely blend of cassis, mulberry, cigar ash, hints of chipotle pepper, sweet cigar wrapper and a lovely base of dark soil tones. On the palate the wine is medium-full, pure and very suave on the attack, with a good core, lovely focus and balance, melted tannins and a long, classy finish. Just a lovely wine that is now at its apogee, but shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. (Drink between 2016-2035)John Gilman | 92 JG

Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the 1985 Château Palmer was clearly a favourite amongst the participants in the tasting, although here I actually concur with Robert Parker - it’s a pleasant Margaux, but not the most complex wine of the vintage. You get the feeling that it doesn’t fire on all cylinders. It has an appealing bacon fact and savory bouquet - a little smudged, but full of charm. The palate is fleshy on the entry, perhaps here with a touch of brettanomyces, the acidity nicely judged with expressive Merlot defining the finish. It does not "take off" as the greatest 1985s are wont to do, yet you would contentedly polish off a bottle, seduced by its easy-going nature. Tasted May 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NMVery rich and concentrated with layers of plum, cassis and currant flavors and woody, mahogany flavors. It’s a bit clumsy at this stage but everything ’s in place for long-term aging.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

The 1998 Palmer showed extremely well. Featuring blackberry, cedar and a touch of black olive on the nose, this has evolved a little since I last tasted it, yet it remains wonderfully defined. The palate is supple and concentrated, with touches of clove and black pepper infusing the black fruit, and gentle grip on the finish. I might actually afford this another year in bottle, but it probably represents good value vis-à-vis other vintages.Vinous Media | 94 VMA classic Margaux, the 1998 Palmer has put on weight and fleshed out during its elevage in barrel. It displays a dense purple color as well as a sumptuous bouquet of black fruits, licorice, melted asphalt, pain grille, and a touch of acacia flowers. Full-bodied, with brilliant definition, this blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a dollop of Petit Verdot, will age well for 20-30 years. It is one of the Medoc’s, as well as the Margaux appellation’s finest wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2028.Robert Parker | 91 RPMushroom, spice, earth and berry character on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, with soft tannins and meaty, berry and cèpe flavors. Tannins are still a little angular. Give it a little time.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2010.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

A typical Palmer showing finesse alongside strength. I love the blackberry, plum, chocolate and cedar character. It’s very long and beautiful. The velvety, textured tannins are impressive.James Suckling | 97 JSThis has turned out to be a prodigious Palmer. The saturated purple color offers up sexy, full-bodied, almost masculine notes of roasted meats, blackberries, and creme de cassis intermixed with notions of toast, smoke, and camphor. Only 50% of the production made it into the 2000, a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot. The wine is opulent, rich, and full-bodied, with tannin that has become sweeter with age. Its best showing yet, most importantly, has been from bottle. This is a great Palmer that should rival the best of recent vintages, which have all been stunning, as this estate continues to go from strength to strength. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2030.Robert Parker | 96 RPStill tight, with a core of black currant, blackberry and plum fruit flavors that is quite youthful, while hints of dried anise, tobacco and singed alder are starting to peek through on the finish. There’s a really vibrant iron note cutting through the finish too. Hold off for now.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2018 through 2028.Wine Spectator | 96 WSNow at 20 years old, and absolutely singing, after a sometimes frustratingly slow start to its life. The tannins are ripe but rich and still broad-shouldered, and it will probably still show at its best with a good plate of food to draw out the mouthwatering acidities. Dense, powerful, complex, with a menthol-laced finish, no signs of going anywhere yet. No Petit Verdot in the blend in this vintage, because the then director Bouteiller didn’t feel it was adding to the overall balance achieved by the already rich and concentrated Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvest September 21 to October 7. Drinking Window 2020 - 2043.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2000 Palmer is a very different “beast” than the 2001, and I use that word intentionally. This is much more feral on the nose, and quite ferrous, presenting leather and dried herbs, smudged red berry fruit, and a hint of fig that emerges with time. The brettanomyces sticks out a bit here. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannins and good density, very earthy in style and certainly more evolved than the succeeding vintage, yet you cannot help falling for its charms. It evolves wonderfully in the glass, actually closing in a little toward the finish, and suggesting that contrary to what the nose suggests, it will repay further cellaring. Excellent.Vinous Media | 94 VMAt this stage, this is very closed, very tight, giving little. But it is possible to discern that this is going to be a beautiful wine. There are flavors of sweet raisins and the fruit has a new world richness, but the structure of dry tannins is always present. It looks as though it has a good, long life.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

Probably the finest Giscours made since the 1975, this black/purple-colored 2000 offers up terrific notes of camphor, creosote, blackberry, and cassis jam intermixed with notions of smoke and earth. Spicy, with low acidity, a big, rich, fleshy, full-bodied palate, outstanding texture, and a long, pure finish, it is, to reiterate, one of the best Giscours produced over the last 25 years. A sleeper of the vintage, it is still available for a realistic price.Robert Parker | 92 RPThis is very perfumed, with mushrooms, berries, and even strawberries. Full and round on the palate with soft tannins and lovely sweet finish. This is very long and balanced, but still needs time. Just starting to open up now, but give it a couple of years. Pull the cork in 2012.James Suckling | 92 JSThis is a big, powerful, firm wine, with a top layer of ripe, glamorous fruit flavors. Blackcurrant jelly fruits are shot through with ripe acidity and soft tannins. It should develop relatively fast, but then last well.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA touch more advanced than the rest of the pack, with beautiful singed alder and juniper notes starting to lead the way while the core of lightly steeped black currant and fig fruit notes is simmering nicely with subtle charcoal and loam elements. Stylish bay-infused finish.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 27,500 cases made. Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis is a big, rich style of wine with a deep inner core of colour and fruit that is almost on the overripe side. The extraction seems a little more pushed, the tannins chunky and slightly chewy on the finish. That said, there’s still an innate freshness and gourmand nature to the wine. It will appeal to those that prefer a plusher style, less so those that have a more classic leaning. Drinking Window 2021 - 2028.Decanter | 91 DECThe 2000 Giscours is a vintage that I last tasted at the 20th-anniversary vertical in 2015. It has a lovely nose, not powerful, but pure and less rustic than some of the others tasted, offering red plum and cedar (as I have noted on previous bottles) and hints of fig jam and black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and just a splash of balsamic infusing the red fruit. It lacks a little length and feels a bit compact on the finish, but there is ample freshness and tension. Decanting would benefit this millennial. Fine.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Alder and cedar aromas waft up from the core here, giving this a perfumed, incense-accented edge, while the silky but substantial structure lets the gently mulled plum, black currant and cherry flavors glide through. Shows a sanguine tang at the very end, displaying latent grip for further evolution.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2030.Wine Spectator | 94 WSAs the 1983 surprised many people for its success compared to 1982, so too is the 2001 Palmer, outgunning the 2000 on many of my recent tastings. I would not bet on it lasting as long as the 2000, but this is still young right now, with firm, still-muscular tannins and deep cassis fruits. An enjoyably balanced and subtle wine filled with charcoal and woodsmoke. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2001 Palmer is a vintage that I have tasted several times, though Thomas Duroux lamented that he has very few bottles left at the property. The lovely bouquet of red berry fruit, dark chocolate, star anise and light iodine aromas gently unfolds from the glass, displaying a little more complexity than the 2001 Château Margaux that I tasted the same day. The palate is medium-bodied with a granular opening and a little ferrous in style, secondary notes percolating through the carapace of primary fruit. Tea leaves, allspice and black pepper define what feels like quite a robust finish, lacking the elegance that Palmer exhibits nowadays. Still, this is an excellent 2001 that probably deserves another 2–3 years in the cellar.Vinous Media | 93 VMAs with so many other wines from the 2001 vintage, this Palmer is classic Margaux. It has delicacy and elegance, but it also packs power, concentration and dark, dry flavors. Intense and concentrated, the richness of the high proportion of Merlot in Palmer’s blend shows through, while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives a fresh lift at the end.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WENo written review provided. | 93 W&SA virile, muscular effort for this estate, the 2001 Palmer (a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot) exhibits a saturated purple color to the rim. Although closed and backward, it is surprisingly powerful, layered, and formidably endowed, revealing hints of charcoal, black fruits, earth, and underbrush. There is a lot going on in this offering, but it needs 5-7 years of cellaring to resolve its high tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022.Robert Parker | 90 RP

A successful wine for the vintage, this blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot boasts complex notes of menthol, black currants, plums, licorice, and a hint of cappuccino in its stunning aromatics. Dense, medium to full-bodied, with high levels of tannin in a big, full-bodied style (much in the spirit of such classic Bordeaux vintages as 1966, 1986, and 1996), this wine possesses superb purity and serious length, but should be purchased only by those with considerable patience and a good, cold cellar, since it will need plenty of time. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028.Robert Parker | 94 RPRich aromas of vanilla, chocolate and berry follow through to a full-bodied palate, with ultrafine tannins and a long, silky finish. Very fine indeed. Palmer shows power with finesse here. Best after 2007. 8,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSGood bright ruby-red. Sweet, penetrating aromas of raspberry, currant, flowers and sweet oak. Tight today but not hard, with burnished oak notes sweetening the dark berry and floral flavors. Finishes long and firmly tannic, with cabernet-dominated floral and minty notes.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

Tasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2002 Château Giscours is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot picked between October 1 and 15. There remains that almost Pomerol-like personality on the nose, quite perfumed and floral with sage and burnt toast scents tincturing the dark berry fruit. With continued aeration, there is a just a hint of rooibos. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite ferrous in the mouth and lightly spiced. It does not deliver the same precision as the 2001, although there is decent length here. It does not offer great length, but for the vintage, this should be considered a modest success. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMI like the mineral and blackberry aromas in this wine. Medium- to full-bodied, with a fresh acidity and tannin structure. This is solid and tight. Needs bottle age. Best after 2008. 23,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

91–93 A rounded, soft-tannined ripe wine, which shows traces of black currant jelly as well as good acidity. It is attractive, layering sweetness with good, ripe fruit.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

A smooth, delicious wine. The fruit flavors go right through this ripe, complex wine, leaving the tannins and wood as supporting acts. As with so many 2004s, the aftertaste is fresh, with great acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA big, smoky, tapenade, plum, black currant, and spring flower-scented nose is followed by a medium to full-bodied, textured, layered wine with sweet tannin, low acidity, and impressive concentration as well as depth. This is a gorgeous, hedonistic yet complex Margaux to drink now and over the next 12-14 years.Robert Parker | 91 RPThis is very fresh and firm with really beautiful chocolate, walnut and berry character on the nose and palate. Full body with chewy yet polished tannins and a flavorful finish. Subtle and fine. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JSA solid red, with blackberry, plum and light cedar aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing aftertaste. All together here. Best after 2008. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This is a beautiful Giscours with tension and finesse. It’s full-bodied and shows plenty of berry and spice character, not to mention a long, silky-textured finish. It seduces you with each sip. Why wait?James Suckling | 95 JSThis chateau gets better and better. The wine has power, but it is harnessed by the intense fruits, the blackberry flavors, the density and the wood. With the power, though, comes elegance, resulting in a wine that is ready to develop over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThis is a powerful wine with good ageing potential. The nose is ripe and creamy with plenty of dark fruit and spice complexity. The palate is rich, full and gourmand with Cabernet-cassis notes coming through. There’s a big tannic frame that shows the more masculine side of this Margaux. The finesse may be missing but there’s a lot of wine here. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2005 Giscours captures all the natural radiance of the year in its stylish, racy personality. Sweet tannins wrap around a core of sweet red berry fruit, kirsch, rose petal, mint, spice and blood orange. Soft, curvy and sensual, Giscours is a winner in 2005. It doesn’t quite offer the grandeur of the very finest Left Bank 2005s, but it has plenty of that richness.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGDisplays blackberry, cherry and hints of sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with soft, velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very pretty and solid. This is structured and chewy. Needs time. Best after 2013. 20,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSTasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2005 Château Giscours is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot picked between September 22 and October 6. Conspicuously deep in color, both the aromatics and palate replicate the strong performance from earlier this year. The bouquet offers very fine intensity with blackberry and cedar, here a tinge of cassis that becomes accentuated with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly grainy tannin. It is very well balanced and almost Saint Julien in style. It is clearly very focused with a sustained, mineral-rich finish that (as I said before) contains real energy. This is an excellent Giscours that will age nicely over the next 20-25 years. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NM

A dense wine, powerful while also elegant. It shows all the best character of a grand Margaux, with fine tannins as well as dense structure. It will age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA generous, well-rounded Margaux, expansive through the mid-palate but finishing a little short. Again, this shows that 2008 is a good - but not great - vintage, and really one where the full pleasure of drinking is to be taken now and over the next decade. The tannins are beautifully soft, and the cassis and tobacco flavours are still vibrant, floating upwards without being spiky. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 91 DECTasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2008 Château Giscours is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot picked between September 30 and October 1. The bouquet is very well defined with ebullient red berry fruit mixed with orange peel and cedar aromas. There is something that distantly echoes a Côte de Beaune! Perhaps the purity on offer here? The palate is very well balanced with a keen line of acidity, very fine tannins and ample freshness. I loved this Giscours from barrel and it is now living up to my expectations. The terroir shines through on this wine - true Margaux. This is an excellent wine from winemaker Alexandre Van Beek. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMThe 2008 Giscours is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Compared to the 1998 and 1988, this has much more fruit and vitality on the nose: blackberry, bilberry, cedar and just a faint tang of marmalade. I like the delineation and vibrancy here. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, good fruit concentration and fine backbone. There is a little grit embedded in the texture, slightly chalky perhaps, but I like the energy conveyed by this Giscours and it feels minerally and long towards the finish. Very fine. (Tasted at the château and at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual vertical tasting).Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2008 Palmer has a very intense bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, crushed violet and iris scents, blossoming in the glass whilst retaining superb delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine but quite rounded tannin that frame the pure blackberry and raspberry fruit. There are touches of white pepper and clove towards the finish, completing quite a superb Margaux from Thomas Duroux. Equal with Château Margaux? It might even be better... (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirits annual 10-Year On tasting).Vinous Media | 95 VMThis has a deeper grip of fruit, one of the best so far, delivering spades of Margaux typicity and a gorgeous balance of seamlessly linked fruit, tannin and acidity. This is the right time to be drinking this wine, but it will still unfurl further. Flavours of pencil lead, brambly blackberry fruits and a cedar swirl. A gold for me, in a silver vintage. Drinking Window 2018 - 2032Decanter | 95 DECRich and concentrated, touched easily by toasty wood. The tannins are so sweet, blending easily into the powerful texture of black berry fruits with, hints of licorice. This is a ripe wine, its acidity always present.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA stunning success for the vintage, and possibly the Margaux of the year, this wine, which achieved 13.5% natural alcohol, is a blend of 51% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot. Loads of barbecue smoke, licorice, incense, blackberry, new saddle leather and forest floor notes jump from the glass of this dense, purple-colored wine. Extraordinarily intense and full-bodied, with plenty of tannin, but not the formidable structure of the 2010, this is going to be one of the longest-lived wines of 2008. It is full, rich, layered, and should be reasonably approachable with 3-4 years of bottle age, and will also keep for 30+ years.Robert Parker | 94 RPA wine that’s just now starting to hit prime time, the 2008 Palmer is a blend of 51% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot that was brought up in plenty of new oak. This medium to full-bodied effort offers a youthful, vibrant ruby/purple color as well as a smoky, dark-fruited style as well as notes of chocolate and earthy minerality. With beautiful concentration, still-present ripe tannins, and a great finish, it’s a great drink today, yet I suspect it has another 30 years in it. It’s a beautiful Palmer that shows the classic style of the vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDPalmer knows what to do. Plenty of blackberry and licorice aromas and flavors follow through to full body, with chewy tannins and a vanilla, cedar and chocolate aftertaste. Needs time to mellow. Layered and beautiful. Best after 2012.James Suckling | 93 JSOffers dark plum, mulled currant and blackberry notes, with flashes of roasted apple wood and maduro tobacco, plus cocoa and espresso. There’s nicely rounded flesh and a long, integrated finish that has some extra grip. Clearly apart from the Margaux pack in 2008. Best from 2013 through 2019. 7,080 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Dark and structured, this is a firm wine. It has a smoky wood character, powerful tannins over intensely ripe fruit. Acidity and sweetness balance to give a dense wine, powered with richness and destined to age for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WESilky and rich, this showcases black cherry with gourmet touches and swirls of black pepper and rosemary. There’s certainly an exotic edge here, with the natural drawing in of its Médoc tannins and highly enjoyable mouthwatering finish. It’s a good Giscours with clear personality, focus and balance. Decant if drinking it in the next five years. Drinking Window 2019 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECThis powerful, yet well-structured Margaux has a lot of positive cabernet sauvignon character (cassis, ripe plum) for the appellation. Long, very clean positive finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2009 Giscours has a generous and complex bouquet with well defined blackberry, cedar, mocha and light ferrous notes, more like a Saint-Julien than Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, fresh and vibrant with curry leaf and graphite. A dash of white pepper pops up towards the finish. This is a very fine Giscours to enjoy over the next 15 to 20 years. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting..Vinous Media | 93 VMThis is alluring, with lots of incense, warm espresso and roasted mesquite notes leading the way for a sleek core of mouthwatering black currant and blackberry fruit. The long finish lets the mesquite edge linger, with well-embedded grip. Rock-solid. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2014 through 2029.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Perfumed, with raspberries and flowers and hints of lemon. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a chewy finish. Austere now, but stylish. Best after 2018.James Suckling | 93 JSServed blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Ferriere '09 is a little disjointed on the nose at the moment and lifted floral notes and an agreeable sense of space and airiness. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy, iodine tinged entry. It is sweet and rounded in the mouth, although it does not show great weight, but the finish is long and graceful, underpinned by fine tannins. Lovely. Tasted January 2013.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP-NMA solid effort, with attractive, balanced black currant fruits and ripe acidity. The wine layers fruit and integrated tannins. It feels chunky and dense, finishing dryWine Enthusiast | 90 WESmoky and silky, with enticing black tea, mulled spice and fleshy plum and black currant fruit that melds nicely together through the tobacco-filled finish. Drink now through 2019. 6,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

One of the finest wines to come from Cantenac Brown for many years, this is powerful and dense, dominated by Cabernet Franc tannins and fruits. The structure has a smooth, polished character that locates it firmly in Margaux, giving elegance and discreet fruitiness. Age this fine wine for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe greatest Cantenac Brown I have ever tasted, the 2010 is one for the ages. Dense purple, with an extraordinary nose of sweet forest floor, blackberry jam, pen ink and graphite, this wine soars from the glass, giving it an aromatic dimension and intensity I have never seen from this estate. The tannins are present, as they are in most Cantenac Browns, but the wine’s sweetness, broad, skyscraper-like mouthfeel, dense, purple color and spectacular length (close to a minute) make this a giant classic and a fabulous sleeper of the vintage that still remains under-priced, considering how great its potential may be. This is a wine for those with cold cellars and youthful DNA. It is going to need at least a decade of cellaring and should last for 20-40 years. A classic!Robert Parker | 94+ RPThe 2010 Cantenac Brown feels a little muted on the nose compared to its peers, but with modest aeration it develops very attractive, leafy black fruit, tertiary in style and beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, very well judged acidity and plenty of substance towards the finish. I love the cohesion and focus of this Margaux. I wrote to buy this after its impressive showing at Southwold in 2014 - yet another blind tasting confirms its pedigree. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.Vinous Media | 94 VMBeautiful dark inky purple with ruby highlights. The difference with 2009 is clear in terms of structure, style and knitted-down fruit. They are both brilliant, and quality-wise it’s hard to pick as they have such different personalities. Higher acidity in 2010 set against confident tannins means your mouth is watering by the mid palate and it doesn’t let up. Tons of black fruits and evident spice, slate, cigar box and liquorice bud, savoury and still zipped up. It needs a few more years in bottle before it will really start to soften. 45% of harvest in the 1st wine, 60% new oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECA wine with firm tannins that are polished and reserved yet there’s an underlying richness of fruit. Plums, blueberries and citrus character. Some tar too. Juicy and delicious to taste. Try in 2016.James Suckling | 94 JSVery fresh, with a bold display of dark blueberry, loganberry and plum fruit aromas and flavors that push ahead, followed by singed spice, black licorice and toasty vanilla bean notes. Displays a polished feel on the finish, kept honest by a buried charcoal accent. Shows plenty of length for the cellar. Best from 2014 through 2028.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

This full, fruity wine is packed with acidity as well as ripeness. It has a fresh black-currant character, and the structure underneath is strong. It will develop relatively quickly, but then could hold at its peak for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEAs with other 2010s, this Kirwan is especially youthful in aspect and rather foreboding, with power and structure coming to the fore. Time in the glass reveals fine-grained tannins and a sense of overall balance, marked with flavours of cassis, mint leaf and liquorice. I appreciate the impressive mid-palate density leading to a finish with pleasing lift, although this is more about power than floral elegance.Decanter | 94 DECDried berry and plum character on the nose and palate. Full body, with chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Lots of beautiful and ripe fruit here. Better after 2017.James Suckling | 93 JS(Château Kirwan) The 2010 Kirwan is a very good example of the vintage, with impressive balance and a sense of measured ripeness that is most refreshing in this over the top year. The deep and classy nose jumps from the glass in a mélange of cassis, dark berries, coffee bean, gravelly soil tones, tobacco leaf, new oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with a rock solid core of pure fruit, firm, ripe and well-integrated tannins and impressive length and grip on the finish. A fine result. (Drink between 2020-2050)John Gilman | 92 JGAs always, this estate has produced a blockbuster style of Margaux in 2010, with the more masculine side of the appellation providing density, power, big body, loads of fruit, extract and richness. This wine is powerful and concentrated, but by no means excessively extracted. Dense purple, muscular, deep and impressive, it is a wine that allows for no compromise among wine lovers. Forget it for 6-10 years and drink it over the following 20-40 years.Robert Parker | 92+ RPBright ruby-red. Brooding aromas of boysenberry, licorice and shoe polish. Dense, sweet and creamy but serious too, with excellent definition and underlying minerality to the blueberry, cassis and spice flavors. For all its richness, this rather powerful wine is currently dominated by its structure, but the tannins are supported by mid-palate concentration of material.Vinous Media | 91+ VMTangy and elegant, with lilac, iron, red currant and cherry notes all mingling together and carrying through the focused finish. Not big, but pure, lengthy and showing fine minerality. Drink now through 2025. 9,166 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Well defined, intense black fruits on the nose are a little reserved, but I like the depth to the fruit on the palate. There's definitely a lot to like here, with the generous liquorice and chocolate you often find in Giscours along with firm, brambly black fruit flavours and the elegant freshness of the vintage. It's nearly ready to drink, generous in feel if not hugely full-throttle compared to the 2009 and 2010. I would suggest leaving those two vintages for another few years and instead look at this, with a good carafing first. 3% Petit Verdot makes up the blend.Decanter | 94 DECPower and ripeness walk hand-in-hand with this major player. The wine is opulent and extracted with flavors of rich blackberry fruits, but shows a firmness in tannins and dense texture. Drink from 2018 and it's sure to be a great success.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is so beautiful now. It's full-bodied with tight and compressed tannins and fruit. Long and intentional. Savory and juicy finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSOffers a solid core of violet, plum, red licorice, currant paste and sanguine notes that fill out steadily through the fleshy finish. A mesquite hint lurks in the background and should emerge more with cellaring, as there's ample stuffing in reserve here. Best from 2016 through 2027.Wine Spectator | 91 WSTasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2011 Château Giscours is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, picked between September 8 and October 1. It offers more fruit intensity than the 2012 and I find more Margaux florality here. It would benefit from more delineation, but there is decent delineation here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe tannin on the entry, red cherry and raspberry fruit intermingling with cedar and tobacco notes. It feels a little conservative on the finish and needs more finesse, but it is a commendable contribution to the vintage. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NM

The opaque blue/purple-colored 2011 Palmer reveals a stunning bouquet of licorice, truffles, camphor, spring flowers, black raspberries and black currants. One of the superstars of the vintage, this brilliant 2011 possesses superb concentration and purity, medium to full body, and remarkable length of close to a minute. A tour de force in winemaking, the Palmer team merits accolades for achieving this level of quality in a more challenging vintage than either 2009 or 2010. The “wine of the vintage” in Margaux, tiny yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare, a final blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a severe selection (only 55% of the production made it into Palmer) are the reasons for this success.Robert Parker | 96 RPA wine with currants and mineral character on the nose and palate. It’s full-bodied, with silky, polished tannins and a long finish. Very tight and refined now. Tannic. Palmer only made 20 hectoliters of wine a hectare. Like a tightly wound ball of cashmere thread. Try in 2020.James Suckling | 95 JSA serious and concentrated wine that is one of the stars of the vintage. With its tight tannins and a considerable sense of structure, it shows a dark and dense side. It’s full in the mouth, black plum skins and intense acidity giving a lilt of freshness at the end. Drink from 2019.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA hail storm at the end of June damaged 90% of the vineyard so this is a small yield at 21hl/ha - the lowest since 1961 (until 2018). The reduced crop translates into powerful cassis and rosemary spice flavours but the cooler weather in July and August means the fruit is more restrained in character than expected, and you see that here at 10 years on. It’s fairly serious in style, not an exuberant vintage and I would suggest giving it another three or four years in bottle before it really reaches its drinking window. As it opens, it shows spiced plum and blueberry, touches of liquorice root and wisps of smoke - all of these things that indicate a fresher rather than a hugely solar vintage, and one that is going to age with elegance and finesse. One of the very few Palmers without Petit Verdot, but spice is still one of the dominant notes.Decanter | 94 WE(Château Palmer) The 2011 Château Palmer is unquestionably the finest wine in the commune this year, as it is a step up from the 2011 Château Margaux in quality. It was produced from yields of only twenty hectoliters per hectares and is a very tannic and backward vintage of Palmer, but it will be stunning in the fullness of time. The great nose offers up scents of mulberries, black cherries, cigar smoke, a lovely and complex base of soil tones, dried violets and nutty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure, with an almost silky sensation on the attack, a superb core of fruit, and a very, very long, firmly tannic and perfectly balanced finish. These are serious tannins and they will take plenty of time to resolve, but they are very fine-grained for the vintage and beautifully integrated into the body of the wine. A long distance runner, the 2011 Palmer is one of the best wines to be found on the Left Bank this year. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 93+ JGOffers a range of charcoal, bay and dark licorice notes out front, backed by an ample core of steeped blackberry and black currant fruit. The charcoal-studded finish has serious grip and pleasantly layered flesh. Should unwind in the cellar, but needs time. Trust it. Best from 2017 through 2030.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2011 Palmer has a delineated, focused, razor-sharp bouquet with blackberry and bilberry scents, demonstrated more mineralité than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, moderate depth, straightlaced and uncomplicated with satisfying freshness and grip on the finish. Not memorable, but certainly well-crafted and might improve with continued bottle age. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.Vinous Media | 91 VM

This is mind-blowing with complex and superb aromas of dried flowers, blackcurrants and raspberries. Full-bodied, yet polished and velvety with lots of tension and intensity. Layers of fruit and character. Finishes with pure fruit, hazelnuts and minerals. About 20 hectares of 55 hectares were from biodynamically grown grapes. Try in 2022. Stunning.James Suckling | 97 JSChâteau Palmer is one of the vintage’s superstars. Opaque purple, with a gorgeous nose of blueberry, blackberry fruit, licorice, incense and graphite, the wine has a multi-dimensional, skyscraper-like richness, stunningly well-integrated acidity, tannin, wood, and alcohol, a finish of close to 45 seconds and a full-bodied mouthfeel. This is a great wine from Margaux in 2012 and one of the vintage’s most remarkable efforts. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2040+. The final blend was 48% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot.Robert Parker | 96 RPThe 2012 Palmer showed beautifully, with the elegance and purity this cuvée is known for front and center. Offering lots of crème de cassis, licorice, smoked earth and a hint of spring flowers, it has medium to full-bodied richness, a balanced, graceful texture, plenty of tannin, and a great finish. This is one of those wines that grows on you with time in the glass and is going to evolve gracefully on its purity and balance.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD(Château Palmer) The 2012 Château Palmer is a brilliant wine. The harvest here took place between October 1st and 15th, and the grand vin is comprised of a blend of forty-eight percent merlot, forty-six percent cabernet sauvignon and six percent petit verdot. The wine tips the scales at a ripe, but still quite classic 13.3 percent. The utterly stunning bouquet delivers a classic Palmer blend of blackberries, mulberries, cassis, dark chocolate, gravel, cigar smoke, a youthful touch of tobacco leaf and a very stylish base of cedary, spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and utterly refined, with a beautiful core of fruit, superb focus and balance, ripe substantial and perfectly-integrated tannins and simply stunning length and grip on the seamless and magical finish. This is a cut above the 1983 Palmer, to give some context as to its quality! (Drink between 2022-2060).John Gilman | 95 JGWith great depth of fruit, this plush, ripe wine also has dense tannins for aging, layers of acidity and a tight structure. However, it’s the fruit that makes this wine, with its waves of black currants and aromatic blueberries. The wood just touches the flavors to promise serious aging. Drink from 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2012 Palmer is silky, voluptuous and beautifully layered in the glass. Black cherry, plum, mocha, bittersweet chocolate and dark spices flesh out in a decidedly opulent, racy Palmer built on pure texture. Silky, tannins round out the polished, suave finish. The 2012s at Palmer are made from unusually low yields of around 28 hectoliters per hectare. One of the effects of the 2011 hailstorm that hit the estate was a lowering of the following year’s crop, which has resulted in rich, tannic wines. Estate Manager Thomas Duroux opted to give the 2012s more time in barrel than is customary and the wines were bottled in September 2014.Antonio Galloni | 94 AGOffers a lovely velvety feel, with plum sauce, red currant paste and lilac notes melded together. Subtle but persistent toast accents everything, with an inlaid iron hint hanging in the background. Shows range, weight and length, with all the elements draping nicely on the finish. Approachable now, exhibiting good mouthfeel, but this could benefit from time in the cellar. Best from 2017 through 2025. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSReal charm here with well defined aromas of blackberry, vanilla and violets. Duroux has managed to coax some plump ripeness from this cool-ish classical vintage and there’s a beguilingly sweet cassis and blackberry pastille character alongside some cream and leather. The acidity is spot on and the framing tannins are refined and grainy. Not a long keeper, but this has plenty of promise and pleasure ahead. Drinking Window 2017 - 2025.Decanter | 92 DEC

It’s easy to call this a beautiful wine—it’s dense and lush, with great layers of black fruit and acidity. The first fully biodynamic vintage from this estate has certainly yielded impressive ripe fruit, with structured tannins and dark berry flavors that linger long. It has enormous potential, certainly not be ready to drink before 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2014 Palmer is endowed with serious depth and intensity. Black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, spice, leather, tobacco and menthol infuse the 2014 with striking midpalate depth, unctuousness and texture. Silky, plush and polished, the 2014 will likely offer a very long window of pure drinking pleasure. It is one of the sexiest, raciest 2014s readers will come across. The blend is 49 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 % Merlot and 6 % Petit Verdot aged in 60-65 % new French oak.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGThe 2014 Palmer is up with the crème de la crème of the vintage and should merit an even higher score in 5-7 years. A blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot brought up in 65% new French oak, its deep ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a rich, opulent bouquet of blackcurrants, black cherries, chocolate, and tobacco, with hints of graphite and background oak. With more texture and mid-palate depth than most in the vintage, this terrific 2014 is medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, layered and as hedonistic and sexy as it gets in the vintage. Give bottle 4-5 years and it should drink nicely for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDRobust fruit from low yields but no less elegant . Wonderful richness, texture and structure, this will become a superbly balanced wine of great beauty. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECThis really develops wonderfully in the glass starting out earthy with mushrooms and spices and then turns to dark fruit such as blackberries and blackcurrants. Full-bodied, very intense and minerally. Firm and silky tannins and a long, long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2014 Palmer builds on the promise that it showed in barrel. It is clearly a more understated and nuanced Palmer from winemaker Thomas Duroux this year, but a Margaux with exquisite delineation and precision, hints of blackberry, boysenberry and a touch of pencil box. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin. It feels supple and lithe in the mouth. It will not have the depth and power of the subsequent 2015 Palmer, yet the "flow" is very sensual and the Merlot (45% of the blend) just lends it roundness and a caressing texture. What a beautiful Margaux and I bet it will be deceptively long-lived.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMThis has a fresh, energetic feel, with lots of bramble-edged grip pushing the core of raspberry, plum and cherry coulis flavors. The finish is very pure, punctuated by lively floral and iron notes. Flaunts minerality in the end. Best from 2020 through 2035.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Blueberries, tar and licorice on the nose. Full-bodied, solid and dense. Velvety tannins. Long finish. Down on this! Needs at least two or three years to soften.James Suckling | 95 JSStill dry and concentrated and with swathes of rich tannins, the wine is dark and dense. The undertow of ripe black fruit is impressive. It obviously has considerable aging potential, Drink this serious wine from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2014 Giscours has a slightly muddled bouquet with tertiary/woodland scents infusing the broody black fruit, austere but attractive. With aeration it seems to find its groove and develop more clarity and detail. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, supple and focused. There is lovely balance and poise to this Giscours, with a tensile and precise finish that lingers long in the mouth. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2014 Giscours has come on leaps and bounds since I tasted it twice in barrel. It is clearly more sophisticated and complex than the du Tertre on the nose. For a start, there is more fruit concentration with red cherries, raspberry and blackcurrant laced with cedar and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, pure red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit with a precise finish that the property never used to be able to offer. This is a lovely Margaux that should drink well for 20 years.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMThis shows a caressing feel from the start, with alluring black tea and incense notes weaving around lightly macerated plum, blackberry and black currant fruit flavors. A floral accent gilds the finish. Pretty wine. Best from 2018 through 2028. 23,335 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSElegant, crunchy black fruits on the nose and florality and ripeness on the palate. Typical classy Giscours with seductive charm and elegant tannins. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 90 DEC