2016 - Palmer, Margaux

Just hover your nose over the glass to get excited about this wine. Inky purple in colour, cigar box, tobacco bud, pencil lead, tight cassis and bilberry fruit. Where the 2015 is generous, the 2016 is tighter, less expressive at the five year mark, but with layers and potential to fire up an entire room. Has the structure and the chiselled fruit that signposts great Bordeaux in an exceptional vintage, with the nuanced whisper of violet and peony that takes you to the Margaux appellation. Powerful and muscular, still austere but the morieish juice on the finish tells you how much this has to give over the next few decades. Harvest October 3 to 18. Gets better every time you go back to it. 60% new oak.

The 2016 Palmer is a brilliant wine from Thomas Duroux, though I feel it will ultimately be surpassed by the 2018. You cannot argue with the nose: intense black cherries and raspberry fruit, crushed violets and crème de cassis (as if there was a touch of Pauillac in there). The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, sensual tannins, perfect acidity, velvet smooth with layers of chocolate-tinged black fruit, hints of black pepper and cedar towards the sustained finish. It is a fabulous Palmer that will give much pleasure. Tasted at the Palmer vertical at the château.

Deep garnet in color, with a touch of purple, the 2016 Palmer takes a minute or two to unleash a powerful nose of black cherry compote, prunes, crème de cassis, and chocolate-covered cherries, followed by hints of licorice, crushed rocks, candied violets, and black truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is dense, concentrated and totally seductive, featuring super-ripe, velvety tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long with loads of floral and earthy sparks. The blend is 47% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Petit Verdot.