Chateau Palmer Dinner

I have had the good fortune of tasting or dining with Bernard de Laage de Meux of Chateau Palmer 7 or 8 times over the past decade. Last night's dinner was quite special, with the intent of tasting Palmer from 1945 to 2005. Even though the 1945 was sadly dead, the 25 or so guests invited by Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe enjoyed a great dinner at Boka and some amazing wines. The entire evening was even better due to the great insight and perspective Bernard was able to share.

• 2004 Château Laville Haut-Brion Blanc 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Super concentrated lemon and orange aromas and flavors with an oily intense texture and character. Heat on end. Admittedly, I'm rarely the #1 fan of most white Bordeaux, so not surprisingly most others liked this more than I did last night.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2002 Château Palmer Alter Ego de Palmer 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Great spice jumps out of the glass with plum, black cherry and red cherry. Just a few cedar traces in background. Elegant and balanced with really good textures. Perhaps not as a good a wine long-term as the 2005 in the next glass, but this is drinking at a great place now.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2005 Château Palmer Alter Ego 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Black cherry, cassis and plum on nose, not much spice coming through today. Same black fruit on palate with some spice hints. Dense and concentrated today with good power emerging on finish. This might end up a better wine than the 2002 in the next glass, but I'm not sure, and certainly not for another 5 years.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

• 1984 Château Palmer 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Slight good primary fruit, mostly black cherry and plum, but more earth and reduced mushroom aromas and flavors are more prominent. Cedar and cigar box provide some very nice character, a bit of brandy-like intensity coming through near the finish, which was otherwise a bit plain. Big positive surprise for the vintage.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1989 Château Palmer 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Black cherry and plum on nose with good floral elements in the background. Beautiful cedar and leather elements starting to emerge. Palate shows same fruit with lots of density. This has truly sensational textures and silky structure that surprises you by lengthening the wine and helping provide a glorious, precise finish. I hope I have the good fortune to keep trying this wine every year or two for the next 30 years.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2000 Château Palmer 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Alluring floral aromas with lush, ripe black currant and plum with some kirsch and spice in background. Same great fruit on the palate with incredible density and power on finish. Amazing spice coming through already. Some in the room like this 2000 over the 1989 in the same flight, I preferred the 1989 but think that in another 10-15 years the 2000 might be at the level where the 1989 is today, perhaps even better. I look forward to the comparison once again!

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1998 Château Palmer 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  I'm not sure if this bottle was (a) less exciting as another I had earlier this year, or (b) slightly overwhelmed by the amazing bottles of Palmer 1989 and Palmer 2000 served in the same flight. Good black fruit with background spice, supplemented by very nice emerging secondary character. Best part are the textures and balance from middle to finish.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1966 Château Palmer 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  We had two bottles of most wines since this was a dinner for 25+ people. The two bottles of 1966 Palmer were very different, even though both from the same case. First (better) bottle had great mushroom and truffle aromas with some lingering red cherry.It was incredibly textured with everything still in balance and a long finish. I thought it a "95 point" wine. The other bottle was similar but completely earthy and had a much shorter, less complete and interesting finish and I considered it more like an "89 point" bottle.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

• 1986 Château Palmer 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Black fruit on both nose and palate with good floral elements in background. Dense tannic structure and acidity come through from middle to finish, combining with the massive fruit for a powerful wine that still retained the classic, lacy and textured Palmer style. One of the greatest wines from 1986.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1976 Château Palmer 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Thin fruit behind mostly secondary character on palate and nose. More structure than fruit or spice, but still well balanced. Not the power of many of the other vintages of Palmer tonight but it showed the same basic character and charm. Somewhat lost in a flight alongside Palmer 1966 and Palmer 1986.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2001 Château Palmer 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Very rich and aromatic vintage for Palmer. Black and red fruit with some coffee and chocolate. Spice emerging from middle to finish. Balanced and subtle, moderate length.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2004 Château Palmer 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Floral and quite alluring even in its youth. Very fruit driven with a few nice licorice and herb hints in the background. Drinking well already, very easy to enjoy.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

A few of us brought a few extra bottles

• 1945 Château Palmer

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  We were hopeful, but all earth and mushroom with a liberal touch of decay. Bernard de Laage said it didn't show properly when opened and certainly wasn't appealing several hours later when we revisited the wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1955 Château Palmer 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Great spice and caramel on nose with aromas of forest floor reduced mushrooms. Wonderful meaty and elegant mushroom flavors. Spice and sweet fruit/oak near finish. Really great textures through good finish, good length. Really charming.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1971 Château Palmer 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Big ripe fruits, nobody would have guessed 1971 if served blind. Also good spice and fresh herbs on both nose and palate. A very easy wine to enjoy and particularly exciting vs. expectations. Most of the great pleasure here came from aromas and its start. I found it a little hollow in the middle with a moderate finish, but those are small nits.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1982 Château Palmer 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Ripe black cherry and black currant on nose and palate. Moderate spice and leather elements in background. Good structure and good balance. Secondary character just emerging. Finish came across a slightly short and simpler than in a few other vintages, but I'm eager to see how this develops as more secondary character emerges over the next decade.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1983 Château Palmer 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  This wine evolved tremendously in the glass, so I'm not sure it was decanted and given as much air as many of the other bottles tonight. Started with good black cherry and black currant and very good spice on the nose. Leather, cigar box and anise all came through nicely. Over 30 minutes, the spice evolves into something truly remarkable and almost exotic. Fruit was not ripe but incredibly pure, clean and precise. Great acid, textures with charming earthy flavors taking over near the finish. At a great place now.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

And a few more extras

• 2004 Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Dent de Chien 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Lots of orchard fruit on nose with lots of spice, with a bit of new oak still to be integrated. Same apples and pears on palate along with lemon zest.Also good spice in middle with lots of minerality and acidity. Great energy on finish, still a bit wound up tightly. Hold to 2014.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2000 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Very ripe and vibrant. Red cherry and black cherry aromas and flavors with a modest amount of spice. A moderate sweet effect in the middle and finish reduced the wine's overall impression.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1962 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 95 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Incredibly fresh red and black fruit on nose with great spice and some emerging cedar wood aromas. Really powerful fruit seems incredibly primary for its age with some exciting rustic, leather qualities emerging powerfully on the palate. Finish just goes on and on, picking up intensity.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

Thank you to Kevin Mohalley from Knightsbridge and Bernard de Laage from Palmer for such a great dinner.