Palmer 2006

44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 56% Merlot. A clear step up from the 2004, even though the vintages were not dissimilar in style. A more delicate grain of tannins is on display, perhaps because 2006 was the first vintage where they took a more rigorous approach in the vineyard. Very dark fruits: cassis and bilberry. This is gentle in its spicing, finessed and expansive through the mid-palate, mouthwatering on the finish. Opens in waves as it sits in the glass.

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Palmer was wonderful out of barrel ten years ago and now in bottle, it fulfills its promise with a stunning, precise bouquet of maraschino, iodine, cassis and tobacco scents that seem a few years younger than its Margaux peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin that cloak its sweet core of cassis and blackcurrant fruit. However, what is so striking is the fineness of the tannin and just how well that oak is subsumed into the fabric of the wine. This is a long-term proposition: a great Margaux from Thomas Duroux.