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News
91 points Robert Parker: "This wine, like some of the finest 1962s, seems to have been underrated by everybody, including the author. My last tasting, from a magnum with a top shoulder fill, proved this can be a brilliant wine. The color was a dark garnet, with some lightening at the edge. The explosive perfume of red and black fruits, smoke, earth, and spring flowers lingered in the glass, revealing further nuances of incense and roasted meats. Sweet, round, and velvety-textured, this medium-bodied, silky-smooth wine possesses a gorgeous inner-core of ripe fruit, as well as an opulent, round, generous finish. As is often the case with a well-balanced Bordeaux, its life-line seems almost immortal. Anticipated maturity: Now (but I have been saying that for years). Last tasted 12/96
Wine Description
The Story
Vintage after vintage, the wines of Château Palmer express our vision of an exceptional wine. We believe that it is born of the mysterious trilogy – terroir, history, memory – and all of our efforts are concentrated on bringing it into the world. Distinction, high standards and commitment are the values that guide every choice we make from the vineyard to the table where the wine is served.
Knowing
Knowing your terroir, your grapes, and your wines – this is a threefold enterprise of patient observation. What seems to be a given is in fact a matter of exacting standards at every moment. To know the terroir you have to become intimately familiar with it. We strive to know the grape variety, subsoil, and exposure of each and every plot but also of each and every row within the plot, as we regard every vine as a unique individual. To know our grapes well, we closely monitor their development until maturity. To know our wines, we taste the batches, the vats, the barrels, and the bottles again and again.
Understanding
Progress in œnology has provided us with insight into the development of wines. Progress in agronomy has given us a better understanding of the life of our vineyards. This makes for more precision in our interventions as much in the winery as in the vineyards. Applying the best technical innovations in a spirit of reconciliation between science and craftsmanship, we use all relevant means to reveal the unique character of the Palmer terroir with each new vintage.
Creating
With the grapes that nature offers us, our job is to create the best possible wine. Is this craftsmanship or artistry? No doubt both. Like skilled craftspeople that love their trade, we select and blend the batches with meticulous care. And like artists, we let ourselves be swept away by the work that is born, as it imposes itself upon our will, surprises, amazes and transcends us.
Kindling desire
Ultimately our goal is to make Château Palmer wines as desirable as can be. To achieve this, everything we do, whether we work in the vineyard, the winery, or in the offices, is informed by high standards and a sense of detail Nothing is left to chance, not the choice of paper for a label, or that of an etching for the wood crates, or of a theme for a reception.
Wine Information
Characteristics of the vintage
Somewhat overshadowed by the legendary ’61 vintage, 1962 proved to be a very good, late year.
Cold, damp weather persisted until the end of May, but June was hot and sunny, allowing flowering to take place in excellent conditions. July saw a return of the cool, humid weather seen earlier in the spring and this culminated with a hail storm in the Margaux region on July 26th. Fortunately, the storm did little lasting damage, as fine dry weather then persisted until the end of September. At this point, growers were pleased to see the arrival of some autumn rain after the hot, dry summer.
1962 was a generous year – the biggest harvest of the decade, in fact. The wines are fruity and well balanced with elegance and breed. They have a medium tannin structure but relatively high acidity levels and have consequently aged well.
Harvest dates: from 10/01/1962 to 10/16/1962
Tasting
Tasting notes from Enrico Bernardo, 12/01/2011:
Clear garnet-red with brick-red highlights.
Concentrated, rich, complex bouquet reminiscent of earth. Fabulous! Jam, tonka beans, coffee sweets, caramel, plum, and spice on the nose.
The palate is marvellous! Extraordinary! Long, intense, deep, generous, well-muscled, and balanced.
« Frisches Karmingranat, zarte Randaufhellung, in der Nase feiner Champignon, reife Kirsche, angenehme, frische Frucht, zarte SüBe, sehr balanciert, weich, klingt sauber aus. »
Weinwisser, 01/01/2003
« Mittleres Granat mit bräunlichem Schimmer. offenes, pflaumiges Bouquet, dezent ausladent, wohlig duftend, Earl-Grey-Touch, datteltöne. Samtiger, seidiger Gaumen, sich wie ein Chambertin anfühlend, nachhaltiges Terroiraroma mit gebundenen Süssnoten. Ein tänzerischer Margaux, nach wie vor ein grosses Vergnügen. »
La Revue du Vin de France, 09/01/2001
« D’une robe plus profonde que celle du 1964, il présente des reflets acajou. Le nez reste charmeur et de belle définition. Elégante et d’un grand classicisme, la bouche offre encore un joli charme en demi-corps. Equilibre parfait et finale épicée d’une grande complexité. »
The Wine Review of France, 06/01/2001
« The colour is quite deep for its age, with mahogany tints. Flowers and fruit in alcohol, together with a mineral touch make for a delightful and well-defined bouquet. This is an elegant and very classic wine that has plenty of charm and a medium body. Perfectly in balance still, with a gloriously spicy finish. »
The Wine Advocate, Robert Parker, 12/01/1996
« Vin sous-estimé, qui se révèle grandiose…Comme cela arrive avec les Bordeaux bien équilibré, celui-ci semble presque immortel. A boire (mais cela fait des années que je dis la même chose). »
Michael Broadbent, 12/01/1983
« Sans doute le vin le plus remarquable en impériale : il atteint presque la profondeur et la maturité charnue des 61. Tout aussi riche et fruité en magnum. »
Vintage 1962
Bordeaux Vintage Report by Tb / If 1962 was also a fabulous year, it fell irrevocably in the shadow of 1961. The cold winter, with its biting frosts, allowed the vines to get a well-deserved rest after their hard work in 1961. The growing season started three weeks late. When the vines finally sprouted in mid-June, the weather improved. Toward fall, the weather warmed measurably, with the resulting drought ultimately having a negative impact on the vines. The few bountiful September harvests arrived just in time to save the grapes from vine wilting. The harvest, which resulted in the largest harvest of the 1950s and 1960s, did not begin until October 1. Few people believed that the vintage would be as good as it became. An excellent vintage for dry whites, reds and Sauternes. As for Sauternes, the year 1962 is clearly better than that of 1961. The best reds were Cheval Blanc, Pétrus and Mouton-Rothschild. A common characteristic of the best wines from 1962 today is their serene and balanced appearance. Only a few show real body and complexity, but they work well especially as dinner wines, also because of their excellent availability and affordability. Even the best wines should not be decanted for more than an hour.
