Release expected spring 2026.
Offered en primeur, landing spring 2027.
Magnums available with a bottling surcharge, TBC. Please enquire for other formats.
All offers of 2025 Bordeaux can be found here.
Producer Profile
Château Palmer
Château Palmer is a Troisième Cru Classé estate in the commune of Margaux. Originally the vineyards were part of the d'Issan estate, but became known as Château de Gasq when they were purchased by the family of the same name. The estate acquired its modern name in 1814, when it was bought by the English general, Charles Palmer, on his way back from the Peninsular War where he had fought with Wellington against Napoleon. Palmer eventually died bankrupt, having spent his wealth on his vines!
In 1938, the Sichel family joined forces with a group of wine merchant friends to purchase the property (originally including the Ginestet and Miailhe families).
The vineyard is 52 hectares of 'croupes' (knolls) of Garonne gravel, planted to 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. Thomas Duroux, formerly winemaker at Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia, has been in charge since 2004. The estate is run biodynamically.
The second wine, Alter Ego de Palmer, has become increasingly serious in recent years, so much so that in fact Palmer now sees this as not a second wine as such, but as a wine in its own right, with the grapes coming from a dedicated vineyard.
| RED | 2025 | Château Palmer | 75cl | £1,150 per case of 6 | Château Palmer 2025 / / 75cl £1,150 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"Clear spice, cumin, cloves, incense, wonderfully balanced, extremely slow unroll through the palate, floral Cabernet character dominant with crushed rose petals, and aromatics are totally jumping out of the glass. 3.65ph, harvest September 8 to 24. In terms of the blend, 1998 had more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon in Palmer, so that is a good sign. Thomas Duroux director. The soils here have that layer of gravel but also clay that really comes in useful in dry vintages such as 2025. 2036-2055. 96 points" janeanson.com------"The 2025 Palmer was picked between September 4 and 26 at just 20 hl/ha (Duroux mentioned how yields have decreased by around 10 hl/ha over the last decade). Matured in 80% new oak and then racked into foudres the following June, it is quintessentially Palmer on the nose with those almost extravagant floral violet scents that blossom in the glass. Wonderful delineation and focus, touches of Indian ink and cassis emerge with time. The palate is very smooth and velvety on the entry, disguising the substance and weight of this wine. Impressive in terms of density, with a little more grip than the Alter Ego, it delivers just the right amount of spice that gives the finish another dimension. One of the longer-term Margaux wines that would benefit from a cellar in its first few years. Drink 2035-2070. 95-97 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"The 2025 Palmer is unusual in that Merlot drives the blend this year. That results in an unusually juicy Grand Vin. Even so, there's plenty of supporting structure. The blend is 55% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Black fruit, lavender, menthol, licorice, gravel and chocolate build into a driving, potent finish. There's a lot of gravitas and substance here. I am very much looking forward to tasting this as a finished wine; my impression today is that the 2025 is holding back quite a bit of its potential. 2035 - 2065. 96-98 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com------"Plush is the word to describe this red. Full-bodied and layered, with velvety tannins and a savory finish. Juicy at the end. Flashy and posh. Plenty of blackberry and black currant aromas and flavors. 97-98 points" jamessuckling.com------"A brilliant, dense purple-hued wine cut from the same cloth as its stablemate, the 2025 Château Palmer offers a massive array of red, blue, and black fruits supported by chalky minerality, liquid violets, and graphite on the nose. Based on 55% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Petit Verdot that's being raised in 50% new barrels and foudres, it checks in at 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. It's full-bodied on the palate, with a round, sexy mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. It's much more structured and tannic compared to the Alter Ego, with a slightly more inward style, yet it has enough fruit and texture to offer pleasure early, and it's going to deserve at least a decade of cellaring. 96-98+ points" Jebdunnuck.com------"One of the most refined and seamless wines of the vintage is the 2025 Palmer, a blend of 55% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot that wafts from the glass with aromas of sweet blackberries, plums and licorice complemented by floral accents of violet and wisteria (yes, the window of the tasting room was closed). Full-bodied, suave and layered, with a deep and concentrated core of fruit, bright acids and supple tannins, it's already harmonious and complete, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. At only 13.5% alcohol, this is quite a bit lower than most recent sunny vintages at Palmer. 97-99 points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com |
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| RED | 2025 | Château Palmer - Alter Ego de Palmer | 75cl | £325 per case of 6 | Château Palmer Alter Ego de Palmer 2025 / / 75cl £325 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"The 2025 Alter Ego de Palmer unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums and violets, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated palate defined by lively acids and plenty of sweet, powdery tannin. Checking in at 13% alcohol, it's a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. The low yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare might shock other estates, but Palmer has become much more habituated to such numbers in recent years. 91-93 points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"Beautiful deep plum colour, so juicy and mouth watering, with a real energy and momentum, blueberry, cherry pit, love the powerful concentration and sense of lift through the palate, and things really grip as it opens and unfolds. 20hl/h, as with everywhere, 3.65ph, harvest September 8 to 24. 2032-2040. 93 points" janeanson.com------"The 2025 Alter Ego, aged in 20% new oak for eight months then transferred into foudres, has a quite effervescent, sorbet-fresh bouquet with perfumed black cherry and cassis fruit, becoming more floral with touches of pressed violet mixed with blood orange. Real intensity. The palate is framed by supple and fluid tannins, but there is certainly backbone to this Alter Ego, with gentle but insistent grip towards the finish. It coheres beautifully in the glass, with ample length and is very refined. Lovely. 2030-2055. 92-94 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"Rocking notes of red, blue, and black fruits, roasted herbs, graphite, and chocolate define the 2025 Alter Ego, a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot that's being raised in 20% new barriques and foudres. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, round, and supple, with ripe, chalky tannins. It checks in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.65. 92-94 points" Jebdunnuck.com------"The 2025 Alter Ego is bold, juicy and super expressive right out of the gate. A wine of total pleasure and seduction, this will drink beautifully with minimal cellaring. Soft, plush contours wrap around a core of red plum, mocha, cedar, espresso and cinnamon. All the elements are so well balanced. Floral top notes and a kick of blood orange perk up the brilliant finish. This is such a classy, polished wine—an especially fine Alter Ego. The blend is 54% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. 2033-2055. 94-96 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com |
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