Chateau Palmer 3eme Cru Classe, Margaux 2010

A purity of fruit here with plum and dark chocolate undertones. Spices and treacle tart as well. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. Very fine indeed. Fit, fruity and reserved. Superb. Try in 2020.

Inky purple in colour. This begs to be taken slowly, as even visually you can see that the texture is rich and velvety and will benefit from a few more years softening in bottle. Dark chocolate and orange zest on the nose, this performs the levitating trick of heading upwards through your palate with mouthwatering acidities while pulling you downwards towards the tannins that are underpinning the whole experience. In between the two you find cassis, bilberry, raspberry and strawberry puree, just a whole array of pure, chiselled but juicy fruits.This is living up to promise, but needs more time, still a trace of austerity on the finish right now, even though the complexity and the layers are hard to resist. Sculpted, intense and concentrated. Harvest September 22 to October 20 - a full leisurely month, mirrored by the unhurried pace that this takes through your palate. 60% new oak.

The 2010 Château Palmer offers a beautiful nose (it reminds me of the 2022, surprisingly) with darker black and blue fruits, violets, saddle leather, and incense notes, as well as a concentrated, rich, full-bodied style on the palate. It stays focused and pure, with beautiful tannins, a complex, layered texture, and a ripe, sexy profile that’s already impossible to resist. I might give the nod to the 2009 here, but this is a riveting Palmer that has so much to love. Drink bottles any time over the coming 3-4 decades. Drink 2025-2065.

The 2010 Palmer is one of the superstars of the vintage, a blend of 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, which is just slightly different than what I indicated two years ago. The alcohol level hit 14.5%, and the wine comes across like a more stacked-and-packed version of their 2000. It is tannic and backward, but has a sensational black/purple color and a gorgeous nose of camphor, barbecue smoke, blackberry and cassis. Full-bodied, with oodles of glycerin but a relatively healthy pH, this wine has a precision and freshness that belie its lofty alcohol and extravagant concentration. This is a sensationally rich, full-throttle Palmer that could well end up being one of the all-time great wines made at this estate. It needs a good 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 50 or more years.

There’s no question that Thomas Duroux and the staff at Palmer are producing wines of first-growth quality, and have been for nearly a decade.

The 2010 Palmer, which is 50% Merlot and the rest mostly Cabernet Sauvignon except for 6% Petit Verdot, is a huge, inky/purple-colored wine with notes of camphor, incense, blackberry, espresso roast, and subtle barbecue smoke. Extremely full-bodied and unbelievably powerful 14.5% natural alcohol, but with a rather standard pH of 3.75), this wine is going to be one of the great classics ever to emerge from this iconic chateau. It is extremely tannic, but the tannins are eclipsed by the extravagant concentration of fruit, unctuosity, and density of this wine. This will be a Chateau Palmer to put away for 10 years and drink over the following 40+.

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Palmer rolls out of the glass with warm cassis, baked plums and boysenberries scents plus hints of candied violets, star anise and dried bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is generously fruited, with a firm backbone of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long.

The 2010 Palmer has an outgoing, intense and multifaceted bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry, crushed violets and hints of cassis - your quintessential Margaux turned up to eleven. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Headier than its Margaux peers, it builds in the mouth with a complex, marine-tinged finish with cracked black pepper lingering on the aftertaste. This is an outstanding Palmer but it needs more time in bottle. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.