97
Jeb Dunnuck Tasting Note
The flagship 2020 Château Palmer checks in as 48% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot that's aged one year in 50-60% new barrels before moving to foudre. It's another ripe, sexy, yet incredibly pure wine from this team offering loads of black and blue fruits, some iris flower, spice, iron, and obvious mineral nuances, full-bodied richness, velvety tannins, and a great finish. It's easily one of the most opulent, sexiest wines from the Médoc, and while it's already just about impossible to resist, it deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and will evolve for 40+ years.
94
Wine Spectator Tasting Note
Nicely packed, with a mix of black currant, plum and blackberry compote flavors at the core, all supported by bay leaf, tobacco and roasted cedar notes. Shows good energy throughout, along with a swath of freshly plowed earth and an underlying hint of cast iron on the finish, providing range and character. Just misses the tension and drive to be classic. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2029 through 2039. 10,000 cases made.
98
Vinous Tasting Note
The 2020 Palmer, which was matured in 65% new oak, possesses one of the most perfumed bouquets of the vintage with entrancing, seductive scents of black cherries, wild strawberry, iodine and crushed violets, all beautifully delineated (as per usual). The palate is medium-bodied with fine but quite firm tannins, lending this Palmer more backbone than presupposed. Blackberry, graphite and touches of liquorice develop with aeration that build towards an assertive, pencil box-tinged finish that nods towards Pauillac. This is a Palmer destined for long-term ageing, so readers should have a cool damp cellar handy. It is a serious Palmer, very different from the previous two vintages, not a mix of the two, but content in just being itself. 14.1% alcohol.
98
James Suckling Tasting Note
Great aromas of blackcurrants, black truffles, blueberries, lead pencil and hints of cedar. Full-bodied and powerful with a fantastic tannin backbone giving it great length and power. Muscular. Toned. Flexing. This needs time. Best after 2028.
97
Wine Advocate Tasting Note
Aromas of raspberries, cassis and cherries mingle with hints of violets, raw cocoa and truffle in a perfumed bouquet. The 2020 Palmer is a full-bodied, layered and seamless wine that's deep and concentrated, with a vibrant core of beautifully pure and perfumed fruit, lively acids and ultra-refined tannins. This suave yet authoritative Palmer is one of the high points of the vintage.