Palmer 1999 (RP95)

Though I have tasted many vintages of Palmer in recent months; it has been some time since I tasted the 1999 Palmer. Now at 17 years of age; it has a really quite splendid bouquet that is so fresh and vital; pure brambly red fruit; sloes and iodine. It has certainly lost some of the headiness that it showed over its first 10 years; but it is still a Palmer that likes to party. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is good depth here; clean and fresh with wonderful poise. This is a correct Palmer; self-aware that it was not born in a propitious vintage; therefore it might seem a little restrained; even conservative in character. That would ignore its precision and grace; the manner in which it gently builds to the finish. You can drink this now but I would be inclined to give it another 3-4 years. There are few better Left Bank 1999s than Palmer. Tasted September 2016.