2019 Palmerathon
Tasted Wednesday, June 12, 2019 by englishman's claret with 315 views
Introduction
Admittedly my love for Palmer and for 80s claret is pretty clear. This dinner was an opportunity to showcase the intersection of the two and open the potable vintages of Palmer from the 1980s in one go, book-ended by the 1999, 1970 (unfortunately corked), and 1959. I've felt in the past that Palmer always shows its own terroir but also eloquently expresses the character of each vintage. Will that shine through?
Flight 1 - Mature(ish) champagne (2 Notes)
Always fun to get started with Dom, which always impresses me for the high quality of such a large-production champagne. I find the balance of fresh citrus notes and rich brioche so desirable with tonight's wines no exception.
Flight 2 - The fine-boned Palmers of the 1980s (3 Notes)
Knowing 80s Palmer, it seemed best to serve the 1982, 1985, and 1988 first. I find these have a charming, lighter touch and though they're perfectly serious wines their structures dictates they be served first.
Flight 3 - The heavy hitters of the 1980s (3 Notes)
The 1983, 1986, and 1989 are no doubt the richest Palmers of the decade and it seems natural to serve these after the finer-boned, more elegant vintages. This worked well, the impressive drive of the wines put into focus by comparison with the preceding elegant years.
Flight 4 - Book-ends (3 Notes)
Having explored the 1980s in detail, from whence does Palmer come and where does it go? The 1999 and 1959 answered that question - Palmer has a long, gradual arc of maturity. Tasting the wines, it would be foolish to assume one could clearly identify the 59 and 99 as 40 years apart. This is a heartening finding, speaking to the constancy and reliability of this great chateau.
Flight 5 - Yquem (1 Note)
After a big dinner, it's always nice to cleanse the palate with a fresh, acidic Sauternes. A crisp Yquem is in order.
Closing
The clear character of Palmer's terroir shone through beautifully and the story of the 1980s was perfectly articulated herein. This magnificent run of vintages was framed by the youthful but gorgeously expressive 1999 and the mature (but still vigorous) 1959 which demonstrated how the Palmer character hasn't changed over time and how slowly Palmer can evolve. What more to ask of a vertical? A perfect evening.
1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 95 Points
France, Champagne
Fabulous Dom; fresh, young, and lively. Lots of lemony zip and mineral, but also rich brioche and cream. Very fresh and still very young, this has the potential to do even better for itself in a few years, as is true for most of the great 96 champagnes.
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1975 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 94 Points
France, Champagne
What a contrast to the 96 in the next glass - the 1975 hits a funny sweet spot between being a bit too cold when first poured and being a bit oxidative when too warm. But when it's in its lukewarm sweet spot, this is a rich, nutty, apricot-inflected, sous-bois accented, gently effervescent delight.
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