Château Palmer· Margaux

A third growth that has, for decades, drunk like a first, that is the paradox I find myself explaining most often about Palmer. Margaux is a commune of perfume, and no estate here distills it more completely than this one, where an unusually high proportion of Merlot is grown alongside the Cabernet on the deep gravel croupe.

The property carries two families in its name, Mähler-Besse and Sichel, joint owners since the mid-twentieth century, with Thomas Duroux directing since 2004. Under him the estate moved to biodynamics across all sixty-six hectares, a conviction choice rather than a marketing one, and I think the wines have only gained for it.

The 2019 belongs in the conversation with 2015 and 2016 as the finest Palmer of the decade, and I allocate it accordingly, sparingly, to those who understand what they are holding. Restraint here is not scarcity for its own sake. It is the only honest way to place a wine this singular.