menu
Member Sign In
  • IWFS Homepage
  • Blog Home
  • Forums Home
  • Global Forum
  • Contact Us
Close
  • IWFS Homepage
  • Blog Home
  • Forums Home
  • Global Forum
  • Contact Us
    Member Sign In
  • Blog Home
  • Forum Home
  • Global Forum
FOLOW US

Recent Posts

  • Ask Sid: Which wine did golfer Rory McIlroy drink to celebrate his 2025 Masters win?
  • SEVEN SAN FRANCISCO RESTAURANTS WORTH TRYING
  • Ask Sid: Which classified Bordeaux chateau includes a Jura grape variety in their white wine?
  • WORTHY VANCOUVER MAGAZINE RESTAURANT AWARDS 2025
  • Ask Sid: A new popular white grape wine to try?

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

CHATEAU PALMER IS ALWAYS A SPECIAL ELEGANT DELIGHT!

December 21st, 2021 by Joseph Temple

Those were two challenging horizontal blind tastings written up last week on this Blog. Easier this week with a non-blind vertical of nine vintages of that outstanding Chateau Palmer Third Growth Bordeaux from the Margaux AC. A similar event of a Chateau Palmer vertical was spotlighted on January 16, 2017. Check it out here. Your scribe reflecting back has enjoyed more verticals of Chateau Palmer than any other wine property (though Pichon Lalande is right up there too). Several earliest visits there in the seventies with Peter A Sichel or John Salvi resulted in my admiration for this most elegant wine and the special unique terroir of their 55 hectares of vineyards. Wonderful dinner at the Chateau on May 2, 1983 with Franck Mahler-Besse (and his father Henry who acquired a part of the Chateau Palmer property in 1938) resulted in an inspiring discussion on 3 bottles of 1959 Chateau Palmer each opened an hour or two apart. All showed lovely styling but quite differently. Was that because of bottle variation of 24 year old wine as advocated by your scribe or length of airing in the decanter as submitted by our hosts? Most
interesting debate. Franck conducted a tasting in Vancouver a few months later at The Four Seasons Hotel on July 7, 1983 for our popular wine club Les Chevaliers des Vins de France. He was so proud they had not produced any Palmer in those terrible vintages of 1963, 1965 (a few bottles), or 1968. Franck liked his 1978 “showing character” that “will age” while 1979 will be “ready sooner”. Compare the comments by Peter on the 1978 being “not as deep red colour” as 1979 which has a “brighter younger look because of the higher acidity level”. At Gourmet of the Year September 1989 by Society of Bacchus celebrations in Vancouver your scribe served a vertical back to 1966 and 1961. Close friend Peter so kindly provided those pristine bottles directly from the Chateau at the unbelievable price of 600FF and 1000FF per bottle respectively. Good storage is so important for aged wine!

David Spurrell held an amazing blind vertical on August 5, 2001 from 1989 back to 1970 with details posted below. Your scribe was hot that night in solving the theme with the 1970 an open star with outstanding depth and complexity as it showed on November 1, 2021 Blog here. 1989 and 1983 were both solid but 1989 had more lively balance and length while 1983 showed mint, spice, and forwardly.

On December 14, 2021 at Blue Water Cafe some 20 years later nine wines previously tasted showed similarly even the Mystery Wine which was 1975 a bigger atypical year for Palmer with floral drier notes. This time though the clear group vote (including me) was for 1989 for Wine Of The Night followed by 1983. The 1978 was a tad musty and not the best bottle. 2004 a nice surprise with 47% merlot, 46 cab sauv and 7 petit verdot (almost identical to the vineyard plantings) using 1/3 of the crop in the Grand Vin. Big and also a bit atypical but impressive indeed. The 2000 was very good but less ripe and full than expected from the vintage and 1996 harder big fruit. 1988 a hard tannic acidic year but more accessible here.

A big salute to Chateau Palmer for their sensual so elegant complex wine yet with depth. Admire that special smoothness delivered from those merlot grapes grown on choice gravel soils usually saved for cab sauv plantings. Thanks for the memories. Property still is going from strength to strength over many vintages including presently.


You might also like:

December 21st, 2021 by Joseph Temple
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

The object of the Society is to bring together and serve all who believe that a right understanding of good food and wine is an essential part of personal contentment and health and that an intelligent approach to the pleasures and problems of the table offers far greater rewards than the mere satisfaction of appetite.
Andre Simon Wine & Food Society Founder (1933)
© 2025 The International Wine & Food Society (IW&FS) IW&FS
Credits | Privacy | Accessibility