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1998 Château Palmer |
| Vintage | 1998 |  Label 1 of 37   | |
| Type | Red | ||
| Producer | Château Palmer (web) | ||
| Variety | Red Bordeaux Blend | ||
| Designation | n/a | ||
| Vineyard | n/a | ||
| Country | France | ||
| Region | Bordeaux | ||
| SubRegion | Médoc | ||
| Appellation | Margaux |
| Community Tasting History |
Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 37 notes) | |
| Tasted by bevetroppo on 1/29/2010 & rated 90 points: Soaring blackberry fruit in the nose immediately upon opening-very California. It's so sweet and ripe you would be forgiven instantly for mistaking it. In the mouth it has started to open quickly, again with the rich blackberry, mixed with flavors of coffee, cedar and graphite. This is a jammy Palmer, and since I don't drink them that often (more based on cost than desire) , I can't say much about typicity other than to express surprise at its exceptionally fruit-forward profile. I'm going to give it a half hour or so and record some additional impressions because this is just so primary right now. 45 minutes later and the primary fruit still rules, and unless I literally swirl and gargle, I don't pick up the elements that would lead me to Bordeaux period vs. California, let alone Margaux. More coffee and some leather emerge. The finish is decidedly drier than the rest of the impression, and that's where more complex flavors seem to coalesce and suggest a California call would be all wrong. Even with the sweetness of the fruit, the finish is dry and a little astringent. I'm not very experienced with the '98 vintage, but regard this as a pleasant surprise of sorts. It's a little out of balance right now, with the big wallop of fruit and the short finish. Could well improve and certainly will drink nicely for a while to come. But what bugs me is I don't get Margaux perfume here. It's like Palmer meets Pahlmeyer. (242 views) | |
| Tasted by iobtoel on 1/20/2010: CUWS Palmer Vertical: nice open nose, fruit forward. Good clean palate with crushed berries, leather, minerals. Good complexity but alcohol a little overpowering? Drinking nicely now. Smokey tobacco finish. (340 views) | |
| Tasted by paulst on 1/2/2010 & rated 95 points: Fragrant with blackberry and lead pencil; rich fruit with graphite; silky smooth; nice acidity and great length. (398 views) | |
| Tasted by DSimmons on 1/2/2010 & rated 91 points: Decanted about one hour prior to drinking. Color is dark garnet.No noticeable bricking Nose is spice, sweet plum, grilled meat, floral notes. The flavor profile is tart berry, graphite, plum, spice, pepper and touch of licorice. Good balance. Smooth and elegant. Nice finish. Will give my other bottle several more years before opening. (387 views) | |
| Tasted by gabrielb on 7/22/2009 & rated 93 points: (491 views) | |
| Tasted by jaimetown on 6/7/2009 & rated 93 points: Opened (but not decanted) 2 hours before consumption. Aromas of dark plum, graphite, leather, earth and currants. A balanced attack on the mid-palate with good acidity and sophisticated tannins. Flavors range the aromatic descriptors and a long fresh finish. My kind of claret, with obviously many good years ahead of it. (1353 views) | |
| Tasted by zimmy07 on 5/31/2009 & rated 88 points: Nose was really seductive and sweet, but the wine was a bit flabby. Just not well connected. Had a nice mint, sweet red fruit and leather thing going on, just a bit disjointed. (1428 views) | |
| Tasted by Lcostas on 2/21/2009 & rated 87 points: (1188 views) | |
| Tasted by Lcostas on 2/21/2009 & rated 87 points: (1181 views) | |
| Tasted by wicozani on 1/30/2009 & rated 93 points: Brought to a wine dinner with a table of 7 friends, this was decanted by our wine distributor host about 40 minutes prior to consumption with choice Elk ribeye steaks. A bigtime nose of both red and black fruits, cassis, spicy oak, and earthiness. This was open for business, with a similar palate, along with graphite, a hint of coffee grounds, and leather. All at the table marveled at this, including the distributor. This totally overshadowed the 2004 J. Vidal Fleury CdP that was served during this course. Many saved it to have after the dessert and dessert wine, though I noticed that its charms were hidden to my palate after being exposed to this degree of sweetness. (1787 views) | |
| Tasted by tbabes on 1/26/2009 & rated 90 points: Commanderie de Bordeaux, Four Seasons. Purple core with no visible lightening at the rim. Restrained bouquet, offering up shy aromas of ripe black fruits, spicy oak, and flower. Medium-bodied, with good concentration and a firm structure. Needs more time in the bottle. (1778 views) | |
| Tasted by 60ouvrees on 12/25/2008: Lots of pure cassis on the nose. The finish is pretty long but there isn't a lot of complexity. (1693 views) | |
| Tasted by ting_rob on 11/15/2008 & rated 92 points: Decanted 4 hours prior this was more ready than I suspected (don't worry - there is lots of life left). Good fruit with classic Bordeaux saddle, cassis and yes a touch (hint) of pencil shavings. I liked this. lush but structured. (1948 views) | |
| Tasted by MauriceE on 8/7/2008 & rated 91 points: Drunk at "Dining 56" (Arnhem, The Netherlands), brought by a friend. Palmer is one of my favorites from Bordeaux. This wine did not disappoint, it has a fruity nose that displays its power and elegance at once. Very good length, no green tannins at all (often a problem with left-bank 1998s in my experience). It was a little outshun by the Barolo of Sandrone we drank after it, but nevertheless an outstanding wine. (1929 views) | |
| Tasted by Tintin on 7/17/2008 & rated 92 points: Beautifully old world with lots of pencil lead and graphite. Very tasty. I'm excited to see how my other bottle evolves over the next 5-10 years. (2160 views) | |
| Tasted by ptmantb on 7/6/2008 & rated 96 points: Wow. Dark fruit with lead pencil and rich earth, yet the freshness is there. Still quite tannic but they are beginning to soften. This will only improve (2352 views) | |
| Tasted by 60ouvrees on 5/26/2008: Lots of brooding dark fruit on the nose and palate. Even with decanting this is still a little bit of a bruiser but definitely enjoyable with the right food. A very good wine with a long life ahead. (2475 views) | |
| Tasted by Lucky Jim on 5/5/2008 & rated 91 points: Not yet at peak. If you have it, hold it. (2751 views) | |
| Tasted by wynnewood500 on 4/25/2008: Started a little disjointed but with some air developed into an excellect, smooth Palmer wine. Although still young, the tannins are soft. (2735 views) | |
| Tasted by Keith Levenberg on 3/27/2008 & rated 88 points: Château Palmer Vertical (Morton's): Obviously the tannin here is a shock to the system at this point in the lineup. But the ’98 acquits itself well. Pretty aromatics and pure fruit, a really good Palmer. (3267 views) | |
| Tasted by MRichman on 3/27/2008: Palmer vertical at Morton's, NYC: Clear, clean, strong with good backbone. Mint and menthol with herbal notes, but mostly a brawny smooth young wine. B+ (2946 views) | |
| Tasted by Goldstone on 2/23/2008 & rated 90 points: Dinner at Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong: Decanted for 5 hours. Deep red colour, almost black. Slightly restrained but compelling nose of dark blackcurrants and vanilla with some liquorice. Smooth and silky Merlot-style palate with loads of fruit. Some length. A lovely wine that is drinking gorgeously now and which I'd predict won't improve although it obviously has the structure to live a long life. This was the pleasant surprise of the night for me.....way better than I expected, given the vintage. (3219 views) | |
| Tasted by WineLover26 on 11/19/2007 & rated 89 points: Light and a slight sour taste (3495 views) | |
| Tasted by zimmy07 on 8/11/2007 & rated 93 points: Similar to my other tasting note. This was not as big as last time, but still drinking great. (3755 views) | |
| Tasted by snipes on 3/23/2007: All I have here is tough tannins, austere. My least favorite of the second flight. (4281 views) | |
| Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles) |
| Producer website
A great classic Summer was exceptionally fine, with hot and very dry weather in August. The vines were not overladen with fruit, which meant that by mid-September they had reached optimum levels of ripeness in terms of sugar and phenolic compounds. Althought there was some reduction in sugar levels during the period of persistent rain that followed, the rain had little effect on the polyphenols or the overall quality of the grapes. Speedy extraction made vinification much easier. The wines obtained from each of the three grape varieties show a balance fruit with excellent tannic structure, while still maintaining the elegant Palmer style. Château Notes, January 2nd 2006 The colour is just starting to show a few brick-red highlights. The bouquet is developing increasing complexity, featuring a blend of fruit and spices, with a few floral notes, as well as hints of cedar, tobacco, and coffee. 1998 Palmer is powerful yet elegant on the palate, with an underlying tannic structure that initially seems quite austere but becomes silkier as time goes on. This is a very lovely wine with a great future. About red wine The variety Red Bordeaux Blend on CellarTracker implies any blend using any or all of the five traditional Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. As such, this is used worldwide, whether for wines from Bordeaux, Meritages from California and Canada, some Super-Tuscan wines etc. Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia) Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) | Simple Bordeaux primer Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines. As with a large part of the Bordeaux vineyards, vines first appeared in Margaux during the Gallo-Roman period. In 1705 a text mentions Château Margaux . But we have to wait for the end of the eighteenth century and the coming of the earliest techniques in aging for the concept of wines of high quality to develop. The confirmation of this was the famous 1855 classification which recognized 21 Crus Classés in the Margaux appellation. One hundred years later, the Viticultural Federation and the Margaux appellation of controlled origin were born. The appellation, which stretches out over five communes, is actually unique in the Médoc in that it is the only one to contain all the range of wines, as rich as they are vast, from First Great Cru Classé to the Fifths, not forgetting its famous Crus Bourgeois and its Crus Artisans. In Margaux there is a predominance of Garonne gravel on a central plateau of about 4 miles in length and one and a quarter wide. To the east-south-east, it overlooks the low lying land by the estuary. Its east side is marked by gentle, dry valleys and a succession of ridges.The layer of gravel in Margaux was spread out by a former Garonne in the early Quaternary. Rather large in size, it is mingled with shingle of average dimension and represents the finest ensemble of Günz gravel in the Haut-Médoc. It is on this ancient layer on a Tertiary terrace of limestone or clayey marl that the best Médoc crus lie. All the conditions for successful wine are present : a large amount of gravel and pebbles, poor soil which cannot retain water and deep rooted vines. It is customary to say that Margaux wines are the "most feminine" in the Médoc, thus stressing their delicacy, suppleness and their fruity, elegant aromas. This does not affect their great propensity for aging; just the opposite, for the relatively thin terroir imparts tannins which give them long life. The other characteristic of these wines which combine an elegant vitality, subtlety and consistency, is their diversity and personality. Over and above the flavour which is their "common denominator", they present an exceptional palette of bouquets, fruity flavours which show up differently from one château to another. Production conditions (Decree dated August 10 1954) In order to have the right to the Margaux appellation of controlled origin, red wines must: - come from the commune of Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labarde, "excluding the land which by the nature of its soil or because of its situation, is unfit to produce wine of this appellation". - satisfy precise production conditions: grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (45 hectolitres per hectare). |
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