Sacharrine nose with some smoke. Palate is dominated by sweetness, and finish lasts impressively long and powerfully. Tannins are fully resolved and even acidity is diminishing. Hardly recognizable as a bdx at this stage, drink up.
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The core of intense and concentrated suave blue fruit typical of the vintage cannot be denied. And it lasted well in the glass for hours. Nevertheless it is apparent that the wine is gradually losing its grip now that the tannins have mostly receded.
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Over time, I've been equivocal on this vintage of Palmer. Multiple times in the early 2000's (even from ex-chateau cases) I found it to lack the fruit and sexiness that others note. This botte was in great shape and showed well. But it was in the good not great camp.
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While the bottle looked good with a VTS fill, true color and the firm wet cork came out in one piece, it failed to perform. Dull, slightly dry and just the merest hint of fruit. Perhaps excess heat some time in the last half century caused it to malfunction.
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Dinner at Richard's and Anita place on december 17, some short notes of the spectacular line-up: Impressive. Cork intact. Red color with only minimal off-red discolorisation. silky texture, red fruit still there, tertiary nites, power, length, background acidity, beautiful soft tannins,. Absolute top, won from all 52 and 53 wines that we tasted with FransS some weeks ago.
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Wine Workshop: Chateau Palmer (Benoit): The showstopper. It's caramel apple and spice and herbal and sweetness and maybe even sweet tea. Drinking super super well. A wine that does make you want to take notice.
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61s at 61 (Bourbon Steak, Aventura, Florida): Many critics have anointed Palmer as wine of the vintage. No doubt it is one of their greatest successes ever. This bottle from the cellars of Mähler-Besse was recorked by them in 1999. Previous bottles I drank from the same lot were near perfection. Unfortunately this one was slightly off due to an excess of acidity. Some of the famous Palmer mulberry fragrance and flavor was there and it was certainly enjoyable but the acidity was distracting. Too bad you can’t taste the bottle before purchasing it.
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From a magnum, this was mid shoulder and the cork was just about extracted intact. In spite of its age it needed an hour or two of air to blow off earthy aromas and settle. Once it does it is liquid perfection with aromas of orange zest, raspberry, and violet. The tannin is still remarkably robust but is fully resolved and everything is silky smooth. The finish matches the rest of the experience. A once in the lifetime opportunity I am now going to work on the magnum over the next 5 hours! A post note in spite of its age this actually improved throughout the night.
very light garnet with a hint of bricking. Heavenly raspberry and vanilla with delicious orange oil on the nose. Unbelieveably delicious notes of duck l’orange, raspberry, strawberry, with an ethereal aspect that is impossible to describe. At Daniel’s with Stash in NYC.
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60 years of Chateau Palmer (Torali): Phenomenal wine after 60 years. The nose is perfumed with subtle floral notes, cigar box, truffles. On the palate, it's silky, balanced with medium length. The very last drop released a bomb of bright red fruit that felt like an eternity. Everything was seamless and integrated. When you think of the age of this bottle, you can't help but feel humbled. A pure class act of elegance.
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Miyazaki A5 Wagyu night (Andrew's): Stunningly fresh and beautiful bottle despite its 60 years of age. Absolutely loved it. It didn't have the length for a full 100 points, and I'm probably adding a couple points out of pure respect for what this bottle delivered after six decades. This was my runner-up on an evening featuring 12 wines, 8 of which had 100-point pro ratings. Extraordinary.
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Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red center with light tawny rims. I was told it had a mid shoulder fill. The medium+ intensity nose put forth roses, tobacco, cola, and prunes.
In the mouth, this wine was medium bodied with rounded tannin, firm acidity, and very good length.
It seemed to me this bottle was slightly heat damaged which is why it seemed slightly oxidized/roasted and came off like an Italian wine. However, even in this somewhat traumatized state it was still very impressive.
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Hedonism and Refinement at 60!; 5/14/2021-5/15/2021 (Joe and Kyla's Bar and Grill): WOTN, WOTW, WOTY and possibly WOML! The cork was in fair shape, but the wine was perfect for a 60 year old! Open nose-gasm! Sexy perfume even after 2.5 hrs! Black and red fruits with tobacco, spice, graphite, truffle, and florals. Still has some obvious tannin! It was SO good we went after the last ounce in the bottle using a coffee filter (picture Joe sucking on the end of it...)! Great with the duck, which makes sense, when we realized it's 52% Merlot.
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Lyon 2021 Birthday Bash; 5/14/2021-5/15/2021 (Bear Creek Woodward/Lyon Den): The crown jewel of the evening. My buddy's birth year wine and 3rd bordeaux of the evening. Contender for wine of the vintage with the Latour. Well this did not disappoint and I was so relieved. 'Sexy' nose we agreed, with perfect fruit and integration. Forest floor, cigar box. Sweet glycerin on the palate. Maybe some violet as reviewers suggest? Beautiful garnet color. OMG, I am in heaven. Usually these things don't live up to the hype, but I am so very glad this did. Happy Birthday Grinner! No tag backs!
This is wild. Explodes with coffe, chocolate, mushrooms galore, impeccable balance and length, goes on and on ... smooth and impressive. A perfect bottle, recorked at the chateau some five years ago. #IB#Palmer1961-night
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I’ve been lucky to have enjoyed a perfect bottle of this magical Margaux and another just sub-perfect. Well, two out of three ain’t bad. This was just over the hill with raisiny fruit. Not entirely undrinkable, and believe me...we tried everything to revive this legend, maybe even tried a little too much because we set the decanter in the freezer to shock it and forgot about it! Oh well, made for delicious 61 Palmer Popsicles.
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Wow this was a treat. Colour clearly showed to be vintage. The initial nose was minty and grass. As it evolved over the course of the evening it became ever more complex with notes of tobacco and apricot becoming more primary. The finish was silky, soft and super long. Exceptionally elegant. Rebottled and relabelled ex-chateau.
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A very fresh bottle of this elixir that showed high-toned black fruit along with wonderful flavors of truffles, dark earth and sweet tobacco. Rather firm with lots of acidity and silky tannins to match the intense flavors. Very terroir-driven with a beautifully complex finish with notes of tobacco, cedar, violet-spice and great mineral lift. Plenty of life left here...
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Ahhh, the legendary Palmer 1961 lived up to its reputation. Slightly more evolved than 2-3 years ago, but still in GREAT shape. The colour is obviously “tuilée” and the nose is a myriad of aromas: molasse, barnyard (in a good way:)), sweet tobacco, cigar box, faded roses...and the finish never ends (the last time I had this kind of length was with a Vega-Sicilia 1970). Unfortunately, probably the last time I taste this fabulous wine. Even though the wine will remain in great shape for a few more years, there’s no reason to wait; I don’t think there’s any potential improvement.
One of the best Bordeaux wines ever produced. This bottle lived up to the HYPE!!!
Supernatural experience. This 'Mystical Margaux' was reminiscent of Will Ferrell's performance of "Por Ti Volare" at the f**ckin' Catalina Wine Mixer!
The '61 Château Palmer was all about laser precision, lavish fruit and plush tannins. Layers and layers of sweet fruit and graphite on a finish that never fades. The nose delivers loads of fresh violets, tobacco, leather and truffle.
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Drunk at Beef Bar in Hong Kong - Berry Brothers & Rudd bottling - Probably not quite as precise as the last time I tried this wine. The concentration is still there in spades, almost to the point of extraction. Again, atypical of aged Bordeaux, lacking the soft silky tannins that exist in claret at its peak. A wonderful wine nevertheless.
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Reconditioned bottle. Floral with autumn leave, eucalyptus, tobacco and smoked fruit. Ethereal and weightless on the palate. It kept developing and evolving in a 3 hour dinner. Indeed amazing. Compared to 61 Latour at its best, it probably lacked the intensity and complexity. But for sure, it was one of the most memorable bordeaux for me. 96-97
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Wine of the night for me by a smidge. So rich and deep yet classically structured with incredible flavors of black fruits, truffles and leathers. Very concentrated with good crispness and snap and I detect a hint of Margaux violets on the long finish with great mineral complexity. A stunning wine!
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An evening of vinous gems (Benoit): The Merlot character really stood out in the Palmer next to the Latour and Mouton. Dark brooding fruit with amazing complexity. Another step up from the two (delicious) right bank wines (Evangile and Figeac)
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Acker BYO 2018 (Tribeca Grille): This was just beautiful. Clear contender for WOTN. It's got a nice body and structure to it. There's lovely spices. Darker fruits. Really just wonderful and special.
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Cellar Devils with Jeff Leve; 10/23/2018-10/24/2018 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Drank blind against 1961. Lactic nose, creamy at the palate, blueberry jogurt, missing the elegance and deepness I knew from this vintage. The aciidty is present but without the usual presssure and concentation. Compared to the 1970 today at second place. The finish was too short. 95
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Talk about sensual, silky and refined, it doesn't get any better than this. This is femininity at its best. The wine is loaded with floral notes, most lilacs, truffle, tobacco, sweet, fresh cherries and pipe smoke. But it is that incredibly polished, palate feel, with the layers of fruit that seem endless that grab you, hold you and keep you. What a wine!
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World's Greatest, Hong Kong - Night I (Bo Innovation): This nose has a lot of sweet red and blue fruit on it, violet florals, and a certain inky / acrylic paint character. Mocha and dark chocolate. Highly expressive and playful. Elegant aromatics. Palate is sweet and accessible, straightforwardly delicious. A lovely gravelly texture. Absolutely sensational. The palate has a youthful Burgundian cherry cola spice. On the nose I prefer this to the '59 Latour.
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Château Palmer vertical tasting dinner (3030 Ocean, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): The first wine of the Château Palmer vertical was the legendary 1961, one of the best Bordeaux wines ever produced. It had been re-corked at the château in 1998. It showed off a rich, dark color. The deep and youthful nose was quite pretty and floral, with fresh violets, black currant, plum, olive, leather, and truffle. It had what I would call a 'sweet nose'. The palate showcased a wine with great balance and smooth elegance. Decidedly riper than the 1966 Palmer that followed. The tannins were soft and perfectly integrated. What followed was a seamless, lingering finish with nicely balanced acidity. It held up quite nicely over a few hours and never lost any steam in the glass; in fact, it seemed to only get better. This wine definitely showed up on this evening.
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Château Palmer Vertical: It's a huge relief and a great pleasure when a much treasured wine delivers on its promise, so great are the expectations. What is really annoying though is when the label doesn't provide all the relevant information. Only upon removing the capsule to extract the cork does it reveal that it was recorked in 1998. (This bottle was ex-cellar Mahler-Besse 2007.) In retrospect I suppose it was obviously not the original since the level was mid neck, too good to be true combined with the fact that Mähler Besse recorks their wines about every 20 years. Nevertheless, it was thrilling, so incredibly sweet and deeply fruity. As it sits in the glass, it becomes more mellow while yielding none of its structural integrity. A rare treat from the greatest vintage of the twentieth century. Could unretouched bottles be as good?
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World's Greatest - Night II (Daniel): This nose is reminiscent of Chave rouge somehow. A little more delicate than the other '61 bordeauxs here with florals in addition to the red berry fruit. Palate is beautifully secondary and perfectly integrated. Very nice. Palmer is having a strong weekend.
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Good spice on the initial nose. Dark red fruit. Lower acid and the finish faded uncharacteristically early with air time. Not a great bottle overall. 94-
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Wine Monuments Man Chapter 2 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Zwei Legenden kamen dann auf den Tisch:Latour 1961 vs Palmer 1961. Es ist jetzt müssig über Punkte zu sprechen. Beide zusammen ergeben mindestens 199 Punkte. Darin war sich der Tisch einig. Nicht ganz einig waren wir uns, welcher uns besser gefiel. Für mich hatte der Palmer die Nase ganz knapp vor, weil er zurückhaltender und eleganter am Gaumen wirkte. Unglaublich feine Süße und Schmelz. Wenn man so will margauxtypische Seidigkeit. Nicht endender Abgang (100P). Das "Problem" beim Latour war, dass wir ihn nicht dekantiert hatten. Er war noch so von der Primärfrucht dominiert, dass seine unglaubliche Komplexizität fast unterging. Der Wein hat noch mindestens 30 Jahre vor sich. Wenn es noch einmal ein nächstes Mal geben sollte, würde ich ihn dekantieren (99+). Die Noten nach Schwarzem Tee und Minze, die mich beim letzten Mal so in den Bann gezogen hatten, waren noch gar nicht zugegegen. So was von jung. Unglaublich.
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Tasted blind, this wine had a (young looking) red/purple center with light red rims. The medium+ intensity nose exhibited dried black cherries, blackberries, prunes, brown spices, and soil. It was obvious that this wine had been harvested on the late side when the grapes were very ripe. Yet the nose displayed no hint of heaviness.
In the mouth, this wine was ripe and rich (as one might expect given the nose) but was still light on its feet. It was massively intense and yet gorgeously balanced. It had light, silky tannins, firm acidity, and spectacular length.
This wine had it all. While I doubt it will get better, it will easily last for 10+ years at this level. Thank you for this revelation Mike!
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A superb bottle of this wine and it was just singing tonight and seems perfectly mature now but still possesses fine tannins so it should remain at this plateau for some time. Dark and precise with great flavors of smoky graphite and a fabulous crisp texture that is also silky fine. The finish is so bright and intense and filled with Margaux violets and graphite minerals. A fantastic showing.
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With air time this take on a Burgundy-like highly aromatic nose with a melange of spice notes. Red fruit, dark floral notes and umami notes round out the complex nose. Silky, alive and balanced, this is what all mature Bordeaux should aspire to. Consumed with braised lamb shank, with black truffle that wonderfully complemented this wine.
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Hmmmm. This is an impressive Margaux. Orange/brown edge, intense color. Very intense on the nose, extremely complex and with an aromatic explosion on the mid-palate; boom! You don't drink that kind of wine every day. Length is super long and reminds me of Vega-Sicilia 1970. Recorked at the vineyard in 1998 and purchased directly from the Chateau. Definitely in my top 3-5 wines in my life. Thank you David!
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Served double blind, from an original bottle with the original cork still intact, this was polished silk. With the beautiful patina of age, the wine is filled with smoke, tobacco, cigar box, spice, flowers, cherries and truffle. The long finish was pure, silky and multi-layered. The wine was made a blend of 52% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The harvest took place between September 15 and September 27. What a night!
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IWFSC 800th Dinner (The Raquet Club): Out of magnum and the last of the societies btls. Beautiful bouquet, feminine, perfume, elegant and developed quite nicely in the glass.
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At the Mandarin Grill in HK for a Palmer vertical. The unanimous wine of the night. We served two bottles, one ex-Chateau and one from UK auction and whilst the ex-chateau bottle outclassed the auction wine it held its own extremely well. The nose was the most dramatic feature, so much fruit and complexity. Of all the "great" Bordeaux's that I have had e.g. '47 Cheval, '45 Mouton etc, the Palmer '61 is the least Bordeaux like. This is not a criticism just an enjoyable feature of a great wine that will probably keep going for many years to come.
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The daggers were out for anyone who doubted that this was a great wine so your author took some hits here, but I was not in love with this. I thought the nose was muddled and the palate lacked vitality and intensity. Another writer found it flabby and soft - agreed, plus dull. The fruit was sweet but had a touch of acidity that was distracting. It was certainly a good wine but versus expectations, it fell short. (per se)
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Farewell for P at B's residence. I was the only person who voted this as wine of the evening in the company of some truly great Bordeauxs like Latour 55, Latour 75 and Cheval Blanc 85. The reason why I have chosen it as such is because of its current profile. This is in its perfect drinking window. A matured brownish hue, the nose was unmistakably Margaux. Lovely floral perfume, this was of dry roses and a tinge of orange peel. On the palate, it didnt have the structure or power of the Latours, but its not made that way. This was extremely elegant, silky and long, with a leathery and earthy taste. Tinge of smokiness, but still well filled with fruits. This is a good bottle, an amazingly generous contribution by WY. This was one of my dream wines when I started drinking Bordeaux, I'm glad I've had the fortune of drinking it, and I'm certainly not disappointed.
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Rotating Dinner Series-Wines Jimmy Likes (Acadia, Chicago IL): Nose: Absolutely stunning and jaw dropping nose that is as complex as the day is long with dark red cherries, leather, cranberries, violets, spices, tobacco leaf, cedar box, and a hint of soy that goes away fairly fast. The depth on this is stunning as it is almost like peeling back layers of rock to reveal more diamonds deep in the mountains.
Taste: Refined, regal, and poignant Medium feel with medium acidity and silky supporting tannins. The feel is silky along with a satin quality to the tones of dark red cherries, leather, tobacco leaf, cedar box, spices, red berries, with violets and perfumes on the back end. The tones are ethereal, deep, and layered.
Overall: This was special. I was nearly speechless by this bottle as it was pristine and was rocking from the get go. To say that this lived up to my expectations is an understatement. This bottle was perfect.
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Deep red-black with light browning at the rim, the 1961 Palmer in the Berry Bros bottling offers up a sweet nose of black raspberry, white flowers, and hints of cherry licorice, ceps, plum and cedarwood. On the palate, this wine is strikingly layered and long, distinguished by its impeccable balance. But I feel that, aromatically, this must have lost some vibrancy, and is now in decline.
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Served double blind from a recorked bottle, this was almost off the charts. The silk and velvet texture left an impression with each sip that must have remained on my palate for 60 seconds. Long, exotic, opulent and decadent in all the right ways, this was a stunning tasting experience.
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Ch. Palmer vertikal (Oslo): MS fill. Lett skyet, rød med brunskjær. Litt sursøt, lett oksidativ nese med syrlige bær, tørket frukt, skogbunn og rosin. Rosindrevet frukt. Varm. Denne er lagret for varmt og leverer ikke i nærheten av hva denne vinen kan prestere.
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Palmer vertical: Forest floor, a bot oxidative, some raisin; in the mouth it is round and warm, full body, long, but wanting in acidity and complexity. With air the dried fruit component gets stronger. Definitely a sub-par bottle.
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Night of the titans (Onda Mezzanine, Oslo): Klar, dyp rød med mildt innslag av oransje. Uendelig dyp, søtlig, mørk subtil, feminin og flørtende på nese. Skogbunn, mørke kjølige bær, rødfrukt, kirsebær, vanilje og solbærblader. Enormt med frukt for alderen. Tett, kompleks og med masse power, men elegant. Fin syre og friskhet. Fremdeles strukturerte, tørre tanniner i avslutningen. Mildt sursøt finish. Ubegripelig ungdommelig. Trengte luft for å åpne seg.
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Anti Bag in Box Dinner: Some dried fruit and slightly oxidative nose at first was a bit worrisome. Lots of tertial aromas on the nose – leather and forest floor etc.; complex and very fine in the mouth at first – albeit slightly disappointing, some oxidative notes. Transformed in the glass and became utterly complex and elegant, sweet, deep and still structured.
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Kleur: Medium robijnrood met een oranjebruine rand. Aroma / bouquet: Opvallend vitaal voor een bejaarde wijn. Subliem verfijnd en complex bouquet. Vleugje cassis. Rijpe geuren als dadels en pruimen, cederhout en herfstbos. Smaak / Afdronk: Superzacht en aangenaam. Zacht zuur en boterzachte tannines. Mondvullend, enorm lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Rare gedachte… Wijn uit een pré-Wim jaar die rijpten in de zomer dat ik verwekt werd ;-). 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
Color: Medium ruby red with an orange-brown rim Aroma / Bouquet: Remarkably vital for an aged wine. Superbly refined and complex bouquet. Hint of cassis. Ripe aromas like dates and plums, cedar and autumn forest. Taste / Finish: Super soft and pleasant. Soft acidity and soft tannins. Mouth-filling, very long aftertaste. General / potential: Strange idea ... Wine from a pre-Wim vintage ripened in the summer in which I was conceived;-). 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 15 + Taste / Finish: 20 + General / potential: 10 = 100/100
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Decadence in Au Jardin: Mahler-Besse bottle. Lives up to expectations; compared to the Cheval Blanc this seems to have reached perfection in its evolution. Opulent, seductive, complex - this is hard to beat.
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This was one of the bottles that came directly from the Malher Besse cellars. The cork noted that it had been reconditioned. The wine showed a medium deep red center with tawny rims.
The high- intensity nose was impressive showing plums, violets, brown spices, dried herbs, and red fruits. It needed 2+ hours to show its best.
In the mouth, the wine was light bodied but exquisitely balanced. The texture was very silky and the wine was the definition of refinement. Despite the fact that it was feather light on the mid-palate, it had a surprisingly long finish.
I enjoy refined wine, however, I think this bottle needed just a bit more intensity to be a truly great wine. Was it the reconditioning? I would opt for drinking this bottle now but maybe other bottles are better.
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Christmas Icons Sampling (The Sampler, London): Any chance to sample this wine is always an experience. Pls see earlier full note we have on this as that was a perfect bottle from the chateau ( and prob one of the best bottles we ever enjoyed)
Nice liquorice on the nose, beautifull wine and very much a live, vibrant and Desne. Would have never guessed this is 50yr old.
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This bottle had perfect provenance since it was released by Mahler-Besse in 2007. The nose is ripe and lovely; firmer but not as elegant as the '61 Margaux we tasted along side it. But in the mouth, this 49 year old was in the prime of its life very full, intense and simply beautiful. Velvety, thick and chocolately. Palmer at it's best is not as complex or subtle as Chateau Margaux but it's more powerful and intense.
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Dinner at Søllerød Kro (Søllerød Kro): Maybe not at its very best anymore but still pretty incredible for a nearly 50 year old wine... dark red, intense nose of soy, currants, tar and pencil. Great marriage of elegance and structure.
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Ex Chateau bottle, kept at our friends cellar for many many years. I guess a priviledge they have given the family link with Palmer. Well kept and the cork although brittle kept the wine to top standard.
Decanted for like 1 hour and having tasted the wine we concluded it needs at least 2hrs.
A superb wine, truly an experience and an honor that our friends decided to share it with us. Fine body with expected brownish rim yet dark in the centre. Very fruity with red fruits dominating and a long long finish. Open on the nose too! We can go on and on but there is no point. Superb ! ( Andreas 98, Nicol 100 avg 99)
An anecdote from the family is that given 61 vintage was very alchoholic the wine makers added ice cubes to the vats to mellow down the wine and i guess decelarate the fermatation! Good old fashioned solutions!
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The bottle and cork smelled like something from a morgue at first with dead, decaying aromas - but the wine itself (once decanted) had a lot more to offer. Hypnotizing aromatics - old leather, violets, briary berry fruit, faint meaty hints and a savoury earthiness all combining into one incredible scent. Very light in the mouth with drying fruit, leather and a dusty character suggesting its best years are past and fading a little on the back end - but the pleasure from the aromatics alone is really amazing, and this was really an experience. Thanks Jed!
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Where to start? I am far from eloquent in describing wine in general and in particular wine with this much age. I am also far from being a fan of Bordeaux - I have a new world palate. The event tonight was a "100 point wine dinner" that my wife and I had put forth as an auction lot in the 2007 High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction, at our house with food prepared by Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene. I had recently spent the week of April 6 through 10 in Bordeaux on a wine trip put together by Doug Bryant of Sherlocks, a friend and a great retailer in Atlanta. I could digress into the wines we had while in Bordeaux, but I won't - suffice it to say that it was a world class line up (all five 1st growths, plus Petrus, and Palmer, among others). Along the way, I discovered that my friend, Hilton, greatly enjoyed the wines of Chateau Palmer. Of course, one of the legendary wines from Palmer is the 1961. Since I already knew that my wife and I were hosting a "100 point wine dinner" at our house on April 25th that our friends Robin and Hilton had purchased at the 2007 High Museum Wine Auction, I worked to source a 1961 Palmer for the evening - while rated a "pedestrian" 99 points by Parker, my friend Hilton had proclaimed that Palmer was his favorite Bordeaux during our trip. With the help of Doug and Craig from Sherlocks in Atlanta, I was able to get a bottle of 1961 Palmer sourced by Mahler-Besse (negociant and owner of Palmer) to my house for the dinner tonight. The wine line-up: 1996 Salon; 2005 Aubert Chardonnay "Lauren"; 2002 Sine Qua Non Syrah "Just for the Love of It"; 2001 Torbreck "Run Rig" ; 2001 Harlan Estate; 2002 Quilceda Creek, and 1961 Chateau Palmer.
To say the 1961 Palmer (ex Mahler-Besse and recorked in 1998) blew the other wines away is not fair...the other wines were known to our guests via the menu; the Palmer was a surprise. As people sought to guess the wine and with hints got closer and closer until Hilton guessed incredouously, "is this 1961 Palmer?". The mouths were more open and the jaws were more dropped - this was perhaps the wine moment of my life to date.
On to the wine - when I decanted it about two hours before serving, the wine was dark orange with a clear rim...heady nose of brambles and minerals. On the palate, it was somewhat restrained, but showed a strong core and backbone. When the wine was served two hours later, the color had darkened to a brick red and the nose had taken on a classic Margaux nose of "elegant power"...not sure what words to use to say elegant - so many layers and so much going on, but so much in concert with everything else. On the palate, it was surprisingly light on it its feet with a great core of sweet fruit, saddle leather and graphite pencil shavings, and a long, sweet, finish. Paried with the Mushroom and Wild Game Tart, it was truly exceptional.
This were the art of describing wine departs from the science of wine. At this point in its life, was the 1961 Palmer superior to the 2001 Harlan or the 2002 Quilceda Creek? Frankly, probably not. Was the experience of tasting a legendary wine with great friends a once-in-a-lifetime experience? Yes. Thus, the 100 point score. YMMV.
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(Ex-Mahler-Besse 2007, recorked 1998 according to the notation on the cork.) By reputation this is one of the greatest Palmers ever and with this provenance (and painful price of admission) my expectations were almost impossible to meet - but it was close. The color was shot full of orange and brick, normal for age. But from the first tentative sip to the last 2+ hours later, it was clear that ths was a wine of amazing depth and concentration, totally belying the pale color. Intense dark berry, blackcurrent and black cherry flavors which refused to fade. Like other great '61s, the rock solid core of fruit centers the wine and gives the finish extraordinary length and persistence. Not as complex or etherial as the '66 but arguably more impressive in its intensity. Much more lively than the '61 Chateau Margaux at ths point, although we did not compare the two on this night devoted to Palmer.
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Château Palmer Vertical (Morton's): A showstopper. Opens with deep briary aromatics, and what captivates you when you taste it is the sense of dimension—it carves out a soaring three-dimensional space on the palate then gets to work filling it in with deep, sappy fruit of pure umami. Properly a legend.
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Palmer vertical at Morton's, NYC: Wow. Light, ethereal, tobacco notes and wonderful complexity. Very very long finish. Blossoms in the mouth. Floral, soft, beautiful. Fresh, light, amazing. A unique experience. About as good a wine as I've ever had. Will last decades longer. A+
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Dinner of caviar, fresh foi gras, rib roast, Yorkshire pudding. A magnum of this wine. Crumbly cork. Fantastic, fresh nose with plenty of fruit, plentiful nose. Then a gorgeous smooth palate, devoid of tannin, but filled with lengthy wonderful fruit. It blossomed further with time in the glass. Totally superb! The color was also hard to believe. It was not at all brick colored but retained a wonderful garnet red.
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An unreal tasting of Château Palmer and Château Margaux with Thomas Duroux of Palmer (Los Angeles, CA): This was a Berry Brothers Rudd bottling, and there was some debate about the authenticity and whether it had been 'freshened' at some point in its life. The cork certainly looked pretty legitimate, and had 1961 Château Palmer emblazoned on it. Oh my, the color in the glass is unreal, still very dark. Candy, cassis and plum pudding come forth from the glass. Black fruit on the palate and a hint of tangerine. Quite tannic still. Although it did pick up some spice on the nose that was reminiscent of the other vintages, this bottle really did have a different personality.
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Read my entry on the 45 Mouton to understand why this bottle is so important to me. This bottle was cellared since bottling in Bordeaux by the Bordeaux wine merchant Mahler-Besse and released to the Trade in 2001. I bought this through Bordeaux Wine Locators. It is in perfect condition.
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Andy’s bottle. Very top shoulder. Excellent color. Immediately forthcoming blast of Palmer perfume. Not quite as complex or interesting as the very best examples but still fabulous. Full, sweet, outstanding concentration and length. Not ethereal. Vigorous. Medium weight yet intensely flavorful. A great wine. Not fading.
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Andy’s bottle, at Chez Moustache West Palm Beach. Mid shoulder fill. Outstanding again. Outstanding, floral yet spicy bouquet. Very Merlot, very Palmer. Not quite as spectacular as the very best examples but all agreed it was a step up from the wonderful ‘66. The warmth and fragrance can be felt on the back of the palate. No sign of decline. Lovely and luscious.
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Andy’s bottle. Wisps of the famous ethereal ‘61 Palmer elegance and exquisite bouquet. Clearly loosening up and gently fading. Still a wonderful drinking experience though.
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Andy’s bottle ($130). Low shoulder fill. This bottle shows just how misleading over-reliance on ullage can be. Absolutely superb bottle and as good as it can be. Dark ruby. Spectacular rosy bouquet. Sweet. Minty. Beautiful balance. Lingering finish. Awesome.
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Cedary. Very Médocain. Would not guess Margaux. Tannin and acidity to lose. Much bigger wine than the ‘61 Margaux tasted alongside it. But not as sumptuous as it can be.
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Medium garnet. Very mature color. Immediate blast of complex mature Bordeaux aromas of great delicacy and beauty. I guessed it as a ‘61 Bordeaux but initially thought it was Lynch Bages. Smooth and outstanding but surprisingly a bit too much tannin for the beautiful fruit. Doesn’t seem like it will last much longer.
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Good color, no brown. Magnificent bouquet, penetrating and powerful. Cassis and violets. Flowery. Full, luscious and very sweet. A little astringent on the finish though.
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Hugh’s bottle. Medium ruby, tuilé rim. A little slow to evolve. Gorgeous bouquet eventually evolved. Still some tannin. Dry finish. Very good but not nearly as magnificent as before.
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One of the great wine experiences of a lifetime. Deep rich garnet, tuilé edge. Gorgeous perfume of violets, roses and unknown flowers. Tastes of perfectly ripe fruit. Rich, full, superb. Holds well to a long fragrant finish. As great as its reputation. Plenty of life.
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11/20/2023 - bookert wrote: 93 Points
Sacharrine nose with some smoke. Palate is dominated by sweetness, and finish lasts impressively long and powerfully. Tannins are fully resolved and even acidity is diminishing. Hardly recognizable as a bdx at this stage, drink up.
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11/19/2023 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
The core of intense and concentrated suave blue fruit typical of the vintage cannot be denied. And it lasted well in the glass for hours. Nevertheless it is apparent that the wine is gradually losing its grip now that the tannins have mostly receded.
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7/22/2023 - BradE wrote:
Over time, I've been equivocal on this vintage of Palmer. Multiple times in the early 2000's (even from ex-chateau cases) I found it to lack the fruit and sexiness that others note. This botte was in great shape and showed well. But it was in the good not great camp.
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6/3/2023 - fcxj wrote: 96 Points
Fresh, black fruit. Intense, high concentration.
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1/28/2023 - sdr Does not like this wine: 86 Points
While the bottle looked good with a VTS fill, true color and the firm wet cork came out in one piece, it failed to perform. Dull, slightly dry and just the merest hint of fruit. Perhaps excess heat some time in the last half century caused it to malfunction.
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12/20/2022 - maaike2 wrote: 97 Points
Dinner at Richard's and Anita place on december 17, some short notes of the spectacular line-up: Impressive. Cork intact. Red color with only minimal off-red discolorisation. silky texture, red fruit still there, tertiary nites, power, length, background acidity, beautiful soft tannins,. Absolute top, won from all 52 and 53 wines that we tasted with FransS some weeks ago.
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11/21/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Workshop: Chateau Palmer (Benoit): The showstopper. It's caramel apple and spice and herbal and sweetness and maybe even sweet tea. Drinking super super well. A wine that does make you want to take notice.
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10/26/2022 - beatles wrote: flawed
Arrrrghhh. Corked.
#IB
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3/26/2022 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
From a htms bottle, this wine had a deep red center with orange rims. The medium intensity nose offered up figs, mocha, minerals, and plum.
In the mouth, this wine was very refined with well integrated tannin and acidity. It was light, not heavy in the mouth but showed a ton of flavor.
This bottle should have been consumed as it was not as energetic as some bottles. The '61 is a bit variable...
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2/5/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
61s at 61 (Bourbon Steak, Aventura, Florida): Many critics have anointed Palmer as wine of the vintage. No doubt it is one of their greatest successes ever. This bottle from the cellars of Mähler-Besse was recorked by them in 1999. Previous bottles I drank from the same lot were near perfection. Unfortunately this one was slightly off due to an excess of acidity. Some of the famous Palmer mulberry fragrance and flavor was there and it was certainly enjoyable but the acidity was distracting. Too bad you can’t taste the bottle before purchasing it.
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12/31/2021 - djhammond Likes this wine: 100 Points
From a magnum, this was mid shoulder and the cork was just about extracted intact. In spite of its age it needed an hour or two of air to blow off earthy aromas and settle. Once it does it is liquid perfection with aromas of orange zest, raspberry, and violet. The tannin is still remarkably robust but is fully resolved and everything is silky smooth. The finish matches the rest of the experience. A once in the lifetime opportunity I am now going to work on the magnum over the next 5 hours! A post note in spite of its age this actually improved throughout the night.
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10/22/2021 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 100 Points
very light garnet with a hint of bricking. Heavenly raspberry and vanilla with delicious orange oil on the nose. Unbelieveably delicious notes of duck l’orange, raspberry, strawberry, with an ethereal aspect that is impossible to describe. At Daniel’s with Stash in NYC.
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10/8/2021 - frenchiecagowine Likes this wine: 97 Points
60 years of Chateau Palmer (Torali): Phenomenal wine after 60 years. The nose is perfumed with subtle floral notes, cigar box, truffles. On the palate, it's silky, balanced with medium length. The very last drop released a bomb of bright red fruit that felt like an eternity. Everything was seamless and integrated. When you think of the age of this bottle, you can't help but feel humbled. A pure class act of elegance.
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9/27/2021 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 99 Points
Miyazaki A5 Wagyu night (Andrew's): Stunningly fresh and beautiful bottle despite its 60 years of age. Absolutely loved it. It didn't have the length for a full 100 points, and I'm probably adding a couple points out of pure respect for what this bottle delivered after six decades. This was my runner-up on an evening featuring 12 wines, 8 of which had 100-point pro ratings. Extraordinary.
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5/23/2021 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a deep red center with light tawny rims. I was told it had a mid shoulder fill. The medium+ intensity nose put forth roses, tobacco, cola, and prunes.
In the mouth, this wine was medium bodied with rounded tannin, firm acidity, and very good length.
It seemed to me this bottle was slightly heat damaged which is why it seemed slightly oxidized/roasted and came off like an Italian wine. However, even in this somewhat traumatized state it was still very impressive.
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5/15/2021 - Grinner Likes this wine: 100 Points
Hedonism and Refinement at 60!; 5/14/2021-5/15/2021 (Joe and Kyla's Bar and Grill): WOTN, WOTW, WOTY and possibly WOML!
The cork was in fair shape, but the wine was perfect for a 60 year old! Open nose-gasm! Sexy perfume even after 2.5 hrs! Black and red fruits with tobacco, spice, graphite, truffle, and florals. Still has some obvious tannin! It was SO good we went after the last ounce in the bottle using a coffee filter (picture Joe sucking on the end of it...)! Great with the duck, which makes sense, when we realized it's 52% Merlot.
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5/15/2021 - jkwoodward Likes this wine: 100 Points
Lyon 2021 Birthday Bash; 5/14/2021-5/15/2021 (Bear Creek Woodward/Lyon Den): The crown jewel of the evening. My buddy's birth year wine and 3rd bordeaux of the evening. Contender for wine of the vintage with the Latour. Well this did not disappoint and I was so relieved. 'Sexy' nose we agreed, with perfect fruit and integration. Forest floor, cigar box. Sweet glycerin on the palate. Maybe some violet as reviewers suggest? Beautiful garnet color. OMG, I am in heaven. Usually these things don't live up to the hype, but I am so very glad this did. Happy Birthday Grinner! No tag backs!
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10/30/2020 - beatles wrote: 97 Points
This is wild. Explodes with coffe, chocolate, mushrooms galore, impeccable balance and length, goes on and on ... smooth and impressive.
A perfect bottle, recorked at the chateau some five years ago.
#IB#Palmer1961-night
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9/28/2020 - La Flama Blanca wrote: flawed
I’ve been lucky to have enjoyed a perfect bottle of this magical Margaux and another just sub-perfect. Well, two out of three ain’t bad. This was just over the hill with raisiny fruit. Not entirely undrinkable, and believe me...we tried everything to revive this legend, maybe even tried a little too much because we set the decanter in the freezer to shock it and forgot about it! Oh well, made for delicious 61 Palmer Popsicles.
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5/1/2020 - WKC Likes this wine: 99 Points
Wow this was a treat. Colour clearly showed to be vintage. The initial nose was minty and grass. As it evolved over the course of the evening it became ever more complex with notes of tobacco and apricot becoming more primary. The finish was silky, soft and super long. Exceptionally elegant. Rebottled and relabelled ex-chateau.
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11/27/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 97 Points
A very fresh bottle of this elixir that showed high-toned black fruit along with wonderful flavors of truffles, dark earth and sweet tobacco. Rather firm with lots of acidity and silky tannins to match the intense flavors. Very terroir-driven with a beautifully complex finish with notes of tobacco, cedar, violet-spice and great mineral lift. Plenty of life left here...
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10/8/2019 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Some blood and iron. Not bottle showing the hedonistic best. From magnum.
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6/29/2019 - Zweder wrote: flawed
Occasional dinner group; Best bottles in white and red. (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): This wine is in the top 3 of my wish list. And then it is enormously corked. Grrr.
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6/29/2019 - jkoenen wrote: flawed
OMG.... Hideously corked!
(especially sad since this bottle was recorked at the chateau in 1995...)
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6/11/2019 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 98 Points
Ahhh, the legendary Palmer 1961 lived up to its reputation. Slightly more evolved than 2-3 years ago, but still in GREAT shape. The colour is obviously “tuilée” and the nose is a myriad of aromas: molasse, barnyard (in a good way:)), sweet tobacco, cigar box, faded roses...and the finish never ends (the last time I had this kind of length was with a Vega-Sicilia 1970). Unfortunately, probably the last time I taste this fabulous wine. Even though the wine will remain in great shape for a few more years, there’s no reason to wait; I don’t think there’s any potential improvement.
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4/25/2019 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine: 100 Points
One of the best Bordeaux wines ever produced. This bottle lived up to the HYPE!!!
Supernatural experience. This 'Mystical Margaux' was reminiscent of Will Ferrell's performance of "Por Ti Volare" at the f**ckin' Catalina Wine Mixer!
The '61 Château Palmer was all about laser precision, lavish fruit and plush tannins. Layers and layers of sweet fruit and graphite on a finish that never fades. The nose delivers loads of fresh violets, tobacco, leather and truffle.
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2/28/2019 - KoalaHK wrote:
Drunk at Beef Bar in Hong Kong - Berry Brothers & Rudd bottling - Probably not quite as precise as the last time I tried this wine. The concentration is still there in spades, almost to the point of extraction. Again, atypical of aged Bordeaux, lacking the soft silky tannins that exist in claret at its peak. A wonderful wine nevertheless.
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2/28/2019 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 96 Points
Reconditioned bottle. Floral with autumn leave, eucalyptus, tobacco and smoked fruit. Ethereal and weightless on the palate. It kept developing and evolving in a 3 hour dinner. Indeed amazing. Compared to 61 Latour at its best, it probably lacked the intensity and complexity. But for sure, it was one of the most memorable bordeaux for me. 96-97
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2/22/2019 - dream Likes this wine: 99 Points
Wine of the night for me by a smidge. So rich and deep yet classically structured with incredible flavors of black fruits, truffles and leathers. Very concentrated with good crispness and snap and I detect a hint of Margaux violets on the long finish with great mineral complexity. A stunning wine!
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2/20/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 98 Points
An evening of vinous gems (Benoit): The Merlot character really stood out in the Palmer next to the Latour and Mouton. Dark brooding fruit with amazing complexity. Another step up from the two (delicious) right bank wines (Evangile and Figeac)
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12/11/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker BYO 2018 (Tribeca Grille): This was just beautiful. Clear contender for WOTN. It's got a nice body and structure to it. There's lovely spices. Darker fruits. Really just wonderful and special.
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10/24/2018 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cellar Devils with Jeff Leve; 10/23/2018-10/24/2018 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Drank blind against 1961.
Lactic nose, creamy at the palate, blueberry jogurt, missing the elegance and deepness I knew from this vintage. The aciidty is present but without the usual presssure and concentation. Compared to the 1970 today at second place. The finish was too short. 95
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10/16/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Talk about sensual, silky and refined, it doesn't get any better than this. This is femininity at its best. The wine is loaded with floral notes, most lilacs, truffle, tobacco, sweet, fresh cherries and pipe smoke. But it is that incredibly polished, palate feel, with the layers of fruit that seem endless that grab you, hold you and keep you. What a wine!
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6/7/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 95 Points
World's Greatest, Hong Kong - Night I (Bo Innovation): This nose has a lot of sweet red and blue fruit on it, violet florals, and a certain inky / acrylic paint character. Mocha and dark chocolate. Highly expressive and playful. Elegant aromatics. Palate is sweet and accessible, straightforwardly delicious. A lovely gravelly texture. Absolutely sensational. The palate has a youthful Burgundian cherry cola spice. On the nose I prefer this to the '59 Latour.
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4/4/2018 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Arbor Magnums. Smells and tastes beef bouillon. Interesting wine, but more saline than I prefer.
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10/14/2017 - G_H wrote: flawed
Oxidized, but man could you feel the power in that wine. What a shame!
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8/12/2017 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 97 Points
Château Palmer vertical tasting dinner (3030 Ocean, Fort Lauderdale, Florida): The first wine of the Château Palmer vertical was the legendary 1961, one of the best Bordeaux wines ever produced. It had been re-corked at the château in 1998. It showed off a rich, dark color. The deep and youthful nose was quite pretty and floral, with fresh violets, black currant, plum, olive, leather, and truffle. It had what I would call a 'sweet nose'. The palate showcased a wine with great balance and smooth elegance. Decidedly riper than the 1966 Palmer that followed. The tannins were soft and perfectly integrated. What followed was a seamless, lingering finish with nicely balanced acidity. It held up quite nicely over a few hours and never lost any steam in the glass; in fact, it seemed to only get better. This wine definitely showed up on this evening.
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8/12/2017 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
Château Palmer Vertical: It's a huge relief and a great pleasure when a much treasured wine delivers on its promise, so great are the expectations. What is really annoying though is when the label doesn't provide all the relevant information. Only upon removing the capsule to extract the cork does it reveal that it was recorked in 1998. (This bottle was ex-cellar Mahler-Besse 2007.) In retrospect I suppose it was obviously not the original since the level was mid neck, too good to be true combined with the fact that Mähler Besse recorks their wines about every 20 years. Nevertheless, it was thrilling, so incredibly sweet and deeply fruity. As it sits in the glass, it becomes more mellow while yielding none of its structural integrity. A rare treat from the greatest vintage of the twentieth century. Could unretouched bottles be as good?
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5/12/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
World's Greatest - Night II (Daniel): This nose is reminiscent of Chave rouge somehow. A little more delicate than the other '61 bordeauxs here with florals in addition to the red berry fruit. Palate is beautifully secondary and perfectly integrated. Very nice. Palmer is having a strong weekend.
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5/12/2017 - tinybubbles wrote: 94 Points
Good spice on the initial nose. Dark red fruit. Lower acid and the finish faded uncharacteristically early with air time. Not a great bottle overall. 94-
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3/17/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 100 Points
Wine Monuments Man Chapter 2 (Berens am Kai 1 star Restaurant): Zwei Legenden kamen dann auf den Tisch:Latour 1961 vs Palmer 1961. Es ist jetzt müssig über Punkte zu sprechen. Beide zusammen ergeben mindestens 199 Punkte. Darin war sich der Tisch einig. Nicht ganz einig waren wir uns, welcher uns besser gefiel. Für mich hatte der Palmer die Nase ganz knapp vor, weil er zurückhaltender und eleganter am Gaumen wirkte. Unglaublich feine Süße und Schmelz. Wenn man so will margauxtypische Seidigkeit. Nicht endender Abgang (100P). Das "Problem" beim Latour war, dass wir ihn nicht dekantiert hatten. Er war noch so von der Primärfrucht dominiert, dass seine unglaubliche Komplexizität fast unterging. Der Wein hat noch mindestens 30 Jahre vor sich. Wenn es noch einmal ein nächstes Mal geben sollte, würde ich ihn dekantieren (99+). Die Noten nach Schwarzem Tee und Minze, die mich beim letzten Mal so in den Bann gezogen hatten, waren noch gar nicht zugegegen. So was von jung. Unglaublich.
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11/18/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rose petals on the highly perfumed nose. Balanced but subtle palate improves with one hour of air time. 95-
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7/31/2016 - fclarity wrote: 99 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a (young looking) red/purple center with light red rims. The medium+ intensity nose exhibited dried black cherries, blackberries, prunes, brown spices, and soil. It was obvious that this wine had been harvested on the late side when the grapes were very ripe. Yet the nose displayed no hint of heaviness.
In the mouth, this wine was ripe and rich (as one might expect given the nose) but was still light on its feet. It was massively intense and yet gorgeously balanced. It had light, silky tannins, firm acidity, and spectacular length.
This wine had it all. While I doubt it will get better, it will easily last for 10+ years at this level. Thank you for this revelation Mike!
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3/4/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 98 Points
A superb bottle of this wine and it was just singing tonight and seems perfectly mature now but still possesses fine tannins so it should remain at this plateau for some time. Dark and precise with great flavors of smoky graphite and a fabulous crisp texture that is also silky fine. The finish is so bright and intense and filled with Margaux violets and graphite minerals. A fantastic showing.
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2/24/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
With air time this take on a Burgundy-like highly aromatic nose with a melange of spice notes. Red fruit, dark floral notes and umami notes round out the complex nose. Silky, alive and balanced, this is what all mature Bordeaux should aspire to. Consumed with braised lamb shank, with black truffle that wonderfully complemented this wine.
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7/27/2015 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine: 98 Points
Hmmmm. This is an impressive Margaux. Orange/brown edge, intense color. Very intense on the nose, extremely complex and with an aromatic explosion on the mid-palate; boom! You don't drink that kind of wine every day. Length is super long and reminds me of Vega-Sicilia 1970. Recorked at the vineyard in 1998 and purchased directly from the Chateau. Definitely in my top 3-5 wines in my life. Thank you David!
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6/8/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Served double blind, from an original bottle with the original cork still intact, this was polished silk. With the beautiful patina of age, the wine is filled with smoke, tobacco, cigar box, spice, flowers, cherries and truffle. The long finish was pure, silky and multi-layered. The wine was made a blend of 52% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The harvest took place between September 15 and September 27. What a night!
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4/9/2015 - AtoZ wrote:
Very nice to taste after some great burgundy. Then I learned what the bottle is worth! Yikes. Would sell any if I owned them.
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12/9/2014 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 94 Points
IWFSC 800th Dinner (The Raquet Club): Out of magnum and the last of the societies btls. Beautiful bouquet, feminine, perfume, elegant and developed quite nicely in the glass.
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8/22/2014 - KoalaHK wrote:
At the Mandarin Grill in HK for a Palmer vertical. The unanimous wine of the night. We served two bottles, one ex-Chateau and one from UK auction and whilst the ex-chateau bottle outclassed the auction wine it held its own extremely well. The nose was the most dramatic feature, so much fruit and complexity. Of all the "great" Bordeaux's that I have had e.g. '47 Cheval, '45 Mouton etc, the Palmer '61 is the least Bordeaux like. This is not a criticism just an enjoyable feature of a great wine that will probably keep going for many years to come.
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5/16/2014 - lepetitchateau wrote: 90 Points
The daggers were out for anyone who doubted that this was a great wine so your author took some hits here, but I was not in love with this. I thought the nose was muddled and the palate lacked vitality and intensity. Another writer found it flabby and soft - agreed, plus dull. The fruit was sweet but had a touch of acidity that was distracting. It was certainly a good wine but versus expectations, it fell short. (per se)
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2/8/2014 - justburg wrote: 94 Points
Farewell for P at B's residence. I was the only person who voted this as wine of the evening in the company of some truly great Bordeauxs like Latour 55, Latour 75 and Cheval Blanc 85. The reason why I have chosen it as such is because of its current profile. This is in its perfect drinking window. A matured brownish hue, the nose was unmistakably Margaux. Lovely floral perfume, this was of dry roses and a tinge of orange peel. On the palate, it didnt have the structure or power of the Latours, but its not made that way. This was extremely elegant, silky and long, with a leathery and earthy taste. Tinge of smokiness, but still well filled with fruits. This is a good bottle, an amazingly generous contribution by WY. This was one of my dream wines when I started drinking Bordeaux, I'm glad I've had the fortune of drinking it, and I'm certainly not disappointed.
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12/7/2013 - Amerique wrote: 88 Points
Soft, flabby, disappointing, 3rd weakest wine of evening in line up including 1959 Mouton, 1961 Latour, and 1949 Leoville-las-cases
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11/19/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 100 Points
Rotating Dinner Series-Wines Jimmy Likes (Acadia, Chicago IL): Nose: Absolutely stunning and jaw dropping nose that is as complex as the day is long with dark red cherries, leather, cranberries, violets, spices, tobacco leaf, cedar box, and a hint of soy that goes away fairly fast. The depth on this is stunning as it is almost like peeling back layers of rock to reveal more diamonds deep in the mountains.
Taste: Refined, regal, and poignant Medium feel with medium acidity and silky supporting tannins. The feel is silky along with a satin quality to the tones of dark red cherries, leather, tobacco leaf, cedar box, spices, red berries, with violets and perfumes on the back end. The tones are ethereal, deep, and layered.
Overall: This was special. I was nearly speechless by this bottle as it was pristine and was rocking from the get go. To say that this lived up to my expectations is an understatement. This bottle was perfect.
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8/3/2013 - William Kelley Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep red-black with light browning at the rim, the 1961 Palmer in the Berry Bros bottling offers up a sweet nose of black raspberry, white flowers, and hints of cherry licorice, ceps, plum and cedarwood. On the palate, this wine is strikingly layered and long, distinguished by its impeccable balance. But I feel that, aromatically, this must have lost some vibrancy, and is now in decline.
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7/6/2013 - fhirsch Likes this wine: 97 Points
From Berry's bottled magnum that was bought on release; sweet cedar, ethereal and slightly smokey nose; incredibly layered and soft on the palate;
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6/8/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 98 Points
Served double blind from a recorked bottle, this was almost off the charts. The silk and velvet texture left an impression with each sip that must have remained on my palate for 60 seconds. Long, exotic, opulent and decadent in all the right ways, this was a stunning tasting experience.
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5/7/2013 - -E- wrote: 88 Points
Ch. Palmer vertikal (Oslo): MS fill. Lett skyet, rød med brunskjær. Litt sursøt, lett oksidativ nese med syrlige bær, tørket frukt, skogbunn og rosin. Rosindrevet frukt. Varm. Denne er lagret for varmt og leverer ikke i nærheten av hva denne vinen kan prestere.
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5/7/2013 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
Palmer vertical: Forest floor, a bot oxidative, some raisin; in the mouth it is round and warm, full body, long, but wanting in acidity and complexity. With air the dried fruit component gets stronger. Definitely a sub-par bottle.
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3/18/2013 - -E- wrote: 97 Points
Night of the titans (Onda Mezzanine, Oslo): Klar, dyp rød med mildt innslag av oransje. Uendelig dyp, søtlig, mørk subtil, feminin og flørtende på nese. Skogbunn, mørke kjølige bær, rødfrukt, kirsebær, vanilje og solbærblader. Enormt med frukt for alderen. Tett, kompleks og med masse power, men elegant. Fin syre og friskhet. Fremdeles strukturerte, tørre tanniner i avslutningen. Mildt sursøt finish. Ubegripelig ungdommelig. Trengte luft for å åpne seg.
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3/18/2013 - LWI wrote: 97 Points
Anti Bag in Box Dinner: Some dried fruit and slightly oxidative nose at first was a bit worrisome. Lots of tertial aromas on the nose – leather and forest floor etc.; complex and very fine in the mouth at first – albeit slightly disappointing, some oxidative notes. Transformed in the glass and became utterly complex and elegant, sweet, deep and still structured.
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12/25/2012 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 100 Points
Kleur: Medium robijnrood met een oranjebruine rand. Aroma / bouquet: Opvallend vitaal voor een bejaarde wijn. Subliem verfijnd en complex bouquet. Vleugje cassis. Rijpe geuren als dadels en pruimen, cederhout en herfstbos. Smaak / Afdronk: Superzacht en aangenaam. Zacht zuur en boterzachte tannines. Mondvullend, enorm lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Rare gedachte… Wijn uit een pré-Wim jaar die rijpten in de zomer dat ik verwekt werd ;-). 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 15 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 100/100
Color: Medium ruby red with an orange-brown rim Aroma / Bouquet: Remarkably vital for an aged wine. Superbly refined and complex bouquet. Hint of cassis. Ripe aromas like dates and plums, cedar and autumn forest. Taste / Finish: Super soft and pleasant. Soft acidity and soft tannins. Mouth-filling, very long aftertaste. General / potential: Strange idea ... Wine from a pre-Wim vintage ripened in the summer in which I was conceived;-). 50 + Colour: 5 + Aroma / Bouquet: 15 + Taste / Finish: 20 + General / potential: 10 = 100/100
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10/1/2011 - steinersing wrote: 100 Points
Decadence in Au Jardin: Mahler-Besse bottle. Lives up to expectations; compared to the Cheval Blanc this seems to have reached perfection in its evolution. Opulent, seductive, complex - this is hard to beat.
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5/22/2011 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
This was one of the bottles that came directly from the Malher Besse cellars. The cork noted that it had been reconditioned. The wine showed a medium deep red center with tawny rims.
The high- intensity nose was impressive showing plums, violets, brown spices, dried herbs, and red fruits. It needed 2+ hours to show its best.
In the mouth, the wine was light bodied but exquisitely balanced. The texture was very silky and the wine was the definition of refinement. Despite the fact that it was feather light on the mid-palate, it had a surprisingly long finish.
I enjoy refined wine, however, I think this bottle needed just a bit more intensity to be a truly great wine. Was it the reconditioning? I would opt for drinking this bottle now but maybe other bottles are better.
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12/10/2010 - Lord Rayas wrote: 94 Points
Julian's MNSC (Wagyu Kaiseki Den): sweet and complex nose with notes of flowers and minerals. opulent and decadent. just a little short on the finish.
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12/3/2010 - Papies wrote:
Christmas Icons Sampling (The Sampler, London): Any chance to sample this wine is always an experience. Pls see earlier full note we have on this as that was a perfect bottle from the chateau ( and prob one of the best bottles we ever enjoyed)
Nice liquorice on the nose, beautifull wine and very much a live, vibrant and Desne. Would have never guessed this is 50yr old.
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6/9/2010 - sdr Likes this wine: 97 Points
This bottle had perfect provenance since it was released by Mahler-Besse in 2007. The nose is ripe and lovely; firmer but not as elegant as the '61 Margaux we tasted along side it. But in the mouth, this 49 year old was in the prime of its life very full, intense and simply beautiful. Velvety, thick and chocolately. Palmer at it's best is not as complex or subtle as Chateau Margaux but it's more powerful and intense.
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3/27/2010 - gorm wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at Søllerød Kro (Søllerød Kro): Maybe not at its very best anymore but still pretty incredible for a nearly 50 year old wine... dark red, intense nose of soy, currants, tar and pencil. Great marriage of elegance and structure.
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2/14/2010 - Papies wrote: 99 Points
Ex Chateau bottle, kept at our friends cellar for many many years. I guess a priviledge they have given the family link with Palmer. Well kept and the cork although brittle kept the wine to top standard.
Decanted for like 1 hour and having tasted the wine we concluded it needs at least 2hrs.
A superb wine, truly an experience and an honor that our friends decided to share it with us. Fine body with expected brownish rim yet dark in the centre. Very fruity with red fruits dominating and a long long finish. Open on the nose too! We can go on and on but there is no point. Superb ! ( Andreas 98, Nicol 100 avg 99)
An anecdote from the family is that given 61 vintage was very alchoholic the wine makers added ice cubes to the vats to mellow down the wine and i guess decelarate the fermatation! Good old fashioned solutions!
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1/21/2010 - salil wrote: 92 Points
The bottle and cork smelled like something from a morgue at first with dead, decaying aromas - but the wine itself (once decanted) had a lot more to offer. Hypnotizing aromatics - old leather, violets, briary berry fruit, faint meaty hints and a savoury earthiness all combining into one incredible scent. Very light in the mouth with drying fruit, leather and a dusty character suggesting its best years are past and fading a little on the back end - but the pleasure from the aromatics alone is really amazing, and this was really an experience. Thanks Jed!
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11/19/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
The Fine Wine Experience Classic Claret II (Restaurant The Square **, London): Immense nose of mulberry and spices, decadent, so very yummie, touch of VA too but less pronounced than in the Pétrus 1971, showing some age but great length. An excellent bottle.
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4/25/2009 - WestJohnson wrote: 100 Points
Where to start? I am far from eloquent in describing wine in general and in particular wine with this much age. I am also far from being a fan of Bordeaux - I have a new world palate. The event tonight was a "100 point wine dinner" that my wife and I had put forth as an auction lot in the 2007 High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction, at our house with food prepared by Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene. I had recently spent the week of April 6 through 10 in Bordeaux on a wine trip put together by Doug Bryant of Sherlocks, a friend and a great retailer in Atlanta. I could digress into the wines we had while in Bordeaux, but I won't - suffice it to say that it was a world class line up (all five 1st growths, plus Petrus, and Palmer, among others). Along the way, I discovered that my friend, Hilton, greatly enjoyed the wines of Chateau Palmer. Of course, one of the legendary wines from Palmer is the 1961. Since I already knew that my wife and I were hosting a "100 point wine dinner" at our house on April 25th that our friends Robin and Hilton had purchased at the 2007 High Museum Wine Auction, I worked to source a 1961 Palmer for the evening - while rated a "pedestrian" 99 points by Parker, my friend Hilton had proclaimed that Palmer was his favorite Bordeaux during our trip. With the help of Doug and Craig from Sherlocks in Atlanta, I was able to get a bottle of 1961 Palmer sourced by Mahler-Besse (negociant and owner of Palmer) to my house for the dinner tonight. The wine line-up: 1996 Salon; 2005 Aubert Chardonnay "Lauren"; 2002 Sine Qua Non Syrah "Just for the Love of It"; 2001 Torbreck "Run Rig" ; 2001 Harlan Estate; 2002 Quilceda Creek, and 1961 Chateau Palmer.
To say the 1961 Palmer (ex Mahler-Besse and recorked in 1998) blew the other wines away is not fair...the other wines were known to our guests via the menu; the Palmer was a surprise. As people sought to guess the wine and with hints got closer and closer until Hilton guessed incredouously, "is this 1961 Palmer?". The mouths were more open and the jaws were more dropped - this was perhaps the wine moment of my life to date.
On to the wine - when I decanted it about two hours before serving, the wine was dark orange with a clear rim...heady nose of brambles and minerals. On the palate, it was somewhat restrained, but showed a strong core and backbone. When the wine was served two hours later, the color had darkened to a brick red and the nose had taken on a classic Margaux nose of "elegant power"...not sure what words to use to say elegant - so many layers and so much going on, but so much in concert with everything else. On the palate, it was surprisingly light on it its feet with a great core of sweet fruit, saddle leather and graphite pencil shavings, and a long, sweet, finish. Paried with the Mushroom and Wild Game Tart, it was truly exceptional.
This were the art of describing wine departs from the science of wine. At this point in its life, was the 1961 Palmer superior to the 2001 Harlan or the 2002 Quilceda Creek? Frankly, probably not. Was the experience of tasting a legendary wine with great friends a once-in-a-lifetime experience? Yes. Thus, the 100 point score. YMMV.
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2/7/2009 - sdr wrote: 97 Points
(Ex-Mahler-Besse 2007, recorked 1998 according to the notation on the cork.) By reputation this is one of the greatest Palmers ever and with this provenance (and painful price of admission) my expectations were almost impossible to meet - but it was close. The color was shot full of orange and brick, normal for age. But from the first tentative sip to the last 2+ hours later, it was clear that ths was a wine of amazing depth and concentration, totally belying the pale color. Intense dark berry, blackcurrent and black cherry flavors which refused to fade. Like other great '61s, the rock solid core of fruit centers the wine and gives the finish extraordinary length and persistence. Not as complex or etherial as the '66 but arguably more impressive in its intensity. Much more lively than the '61 Chateau Margaux at ths point, although we did not compare the two on this night devoted to Palmer.
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4/3/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Roy Hersh Vintage Madeira tasting and dinner (Plumpjack Cafe, San Francisco, California): Great plum, cassis and black fruit nose; rich plum, black fruit cassis palate; medium-plus finish
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3/27/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 99 Points
Château Palmer Vertical (Morton's): A showstopper. Opens with deep briary aromatics, and what captivates you when you taste it is the sense of dimension—it carves out a soaring three-dimensional space on the palate then gets to work filling it in with deep, sappy fruit of pure umami. Properly a legend.
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3/27/2008 - MRichman wrote:
Palmer vertical at Morton's, NYC: Wow. Light, ethereal, tobacco notes and wonderful complexity. Very very long finish. Blossoms in the mouth. Floral, soft, beautiful. Fresh, light, amazing. A unique experience. About as good a wine as I've ever had. Will last decades longer.
A+
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1/27/2007 - conadoc wrote: 100 Points
Dinner of caviar, fresh foi gras, rib roast, Yorkshire pudding. A magnum of this wine. Crumbly cork. Fantastic, fresh nose with plenty of fruit, plentiful nose. Then a gorgeous smooth palate, devoid of tannin, but filled with lengthy wonderful fruit. It blossomed further with time in the glass. Totally superb! The color was also hard to believe. It was not at all brick colored but retained a wonderful garnet red.
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12/13/2006 - G SQUARED wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Mina's with Wilf and Peter Marks, MW. Brilliant as usual but maybe not quite up to it's high 90's standards this time.
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6/20/2006 - Eric wrote:
An unreal tasting of Château Palmer and Château Margaux with Thomas Duroux of Palmer (Los Angeles, CA): This was a Berry Brothers Rudd bottling, and there was some debate about the authenticity and whether it had been 'freshened' at some point in its life. The cork certainly looked pretty legitimate, and had 1961 Château Palmer emblazoned on it. Oh my, the color in the glass is unreal, still very dark. Candy, cassis and plum pudding come forth from the glass. Black fruit on the palate and a hint of tangerine. Quite tannic still. Although it did pick up some spice on the nose that was reminiscent of the other vintages, this bottle really did have a different personality.
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11/23/2003 - JeffO wrote:
Read my entry on the 45 Mouton to understand why this bottle is so important to me. This bottle was cellared since bottling in Bordeaux by the Bordeaux wine merchant Mahler-Besse and released to the Trade in 2001. I bought this through Bordeaux Wine Locators. It is in perfect condition.
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9/1/1997 - sdr wrote: flawed
Hugh’s bottle, Marin Wine Cellar many years ago. Brown and gone.
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1/1/1997 - sdr wrote: 96 Points
Andy’s bottle. Very top shoulder. Excellent color. Immediately forthcoming blast of Palmer perfume. Not quite as complex or interesting as the very best examples but still fabulous. Full, sweet, outstanding concentration and length. Not ethereal. Vigorous. Medium weight yet intensely flavorful. A great wine. Not fading.
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4/1/1995 - sdr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Andy’s bottle, at Chez Moustache West Palm Beach. Mid shoulder fill. Outstanding again. Outstanding, floral yet spicy bouquet. Very Merlot, very Palmer. Not quite as spectacular as the very best examples but all agreed it was a step up from the wonderful ‘66. The warmth and fragrance can be felt on the back of the palate. No sign of decline. Lovely and luscious.
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3/1/1995 - sdr wrote: 92 Points
Andy’s bottle. Wisps of the famous ethereal ‘61 Palmer elegance and exquisite bouquet. Clearly loosening up and gently fading. Still a wonderful drinking experience though.
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1/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
Andy’s bottle ($130). Low shoulder fill. This bottle shows just how misleading over-reliance on ullage can be. Absolutely superb bottle and as good as it can be. Dark ruby. Spectacular rosy bouquet. Sweet. Minty. Beautiful balance. Lingering finish. Awesome.
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1/1/1994 - sdr Likes this wine: 88 Points
My last bottle. Good color. Moderate nose of great beauty but faded after about an hour. Not as sweet or intense as usual. Turned dry in the glass.
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3/1/1993 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cedary. Very Médocain. Would not guess Margaux. Tannin and acidity to lose. Much bigger wine than the ‘61 Margaux tasted alongside it. But not as sumptuous as it can be.
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8/1/1991 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium garnet. Very mature color. Immediate blast of complex mature Bordeaux aromas of great delicacy and beauty. I guessed it as a ‘61 Bordeaux but initially thought it was Lynch Bages. Smooth and outstanding but surprisingly a bit too much tannin for the beautiful fruit. Doesn’t seem like it will last much longer.
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1/1/1989 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good color, no brown. Magnificent bouquet, penetrating and powerful. Cassis and violets. Flowery. Full, luscious and very sweet. A little astringent on the finish though.
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1/1/1988 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Hugh’s bottle. Medium ruby, tuilé rim. A little slow to evolve. Gorgeous bouquet eventually evolved. Still some tannin. Dry finish. Very good but not nearly as magnificent as before.
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9/1/1987 - sdr Likes this wine: 98 Points
One of the great wine experiences of a lifetime. Deep rich garnet, tuilé edge. Gorgeous perfume of violets, roses and unknown flowers. Tastes of perfectly ripe fruit. Rich, full, superb. Holds well to a long fragrant finish. As great as its reputation. Plenty of life.
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