1970 Château Palmer Margaux Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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At full-maturity, this is not a wine for further aging. But that is just fine. It is already 50 years old. Still, if you are lucky enough to have a bottle, you can find an earthy, tobacco laden, cherry-filled wine with earth, cedar and cigar box notes. This is medium-bodied, silky and refined with a gentle, bright finish. If you are sitting on any, you should be consuming your bottles over the next 5 years or so. 3,362 Views Tasted Oct 23, 2020Earthy, with loads of cigar box, cedar chest, tobacco leaf, red fruits and a touch of flowers, the wine is medium-bodied with an elegant touch to the fruit. This has moved past full maturity and should be drunk over the next 5 years. 4,053 Views Tasted Jan 19, 2020Fully mature, the nose, with its blend of flowers, cigar wrapper and ripe cherry, with herb nuances was really on fire. This bottle, on the palate, was a little more advanced than the previously tasted example. Soft, silky, fresh and elegant, the red plums were ripe, with a touch of tart as well. Pop and pour worked perfectly. 3,064 Views Tasted Oct 7, 2018A beautiful blend of freshly picked flowers and tobacco kick things off. Medium/full bodied, with a sublime, elegant and refined character. The wine feels light on its feet, but don't let that fool you. The finish is long, fresh and packed with sweet, ripe, red fruits that offer a fabulous sense of purity and grace. Fully mature, there is no reason to consider further aging, but I suspect, this will age continue to perform at this high-level for at least another 10-15 years or so, if well stored. 4,019 Views Tasted Oct 5, 2017While the perfume moves from roses to violets, the cigar box, earth and sweet cassis aromas remain constant. Elegant in style, the sweet, fresh cherry and tobacco on the palate is silky and refined. This is fully mature and unless your bottle is a large format or amazingly well stored, there is no reason not to be opening your bottles. This was popped and poured and barley improved in the glass, so I would not decant this wine if you're planning on popping a cork. The wine was made from a blend of 44% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc. The harvest took place from September 26, finishing October 16. 4,394 Views Tasted Dec 19, 2015Fully mature, this is not a wine to hold for more development. What you get is a sensuous, silky, velvet textured, sweet, fresh, vibrant wine with sensations of sweet, ripe cherries, plum, tobacco, truffle, forest floor and wet earth. If you want to get an idea on where your 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010 will be with 40 years of age, the 1970 Palmer provides a perfect indicator. 4,472 Views Tasted Oct 30, 2014This fully mature Margaux offers an expressive nose of forest floor, earth, cinnamon, tobacco, cassis, stone and cedar wood aromas. With the texture of silk, wrapped in velvet, this elegant Chateau Palmer ends with a refined, plush, earthy, cassis and spice finish. This is fully mature. If well stored, there is no hurry to drink it. But it is probably not going to improve. 7,249 Views Tasted Jun 2, 2013With older wines, it's always a gamble. Fortunately, this bet paid off in spades! With a perfume that deserves to be bottled and sold, due to its floral, truffle, tobacco, cassis, earth, cigar box, cherry and spice scented nose, the wine really took off on the palate. Sensuous, soft, sexy, silky textures and a beautiful, ripe, sweet, tobacco and cherry finish made this a stellar tasting experience. Splash decanted moments before serving, the wine remained at the same high level for 2 hours. It might have stayed in the sweet spot longer, but that was about as much savoring as we were able to do, with a wine that delicious. 4,560 Views Tasted Nov 8, 20121970 Palmer opened with smoke, truffle, earth, leather, blackberry and cassis aromatics. This bottle offered textures on the lean side. The wine finished with spicy cassis and strawberry flavors. I've tasted better, fresher examples of this wine. It reminded me of what the 95 will probably taste like at full maturity. 7,805 Views Tasted Aug 31, 2010With tobacco, truffle, cassis, spice, blackberry and floral aromatics, this concentrated wine filled your mouth with elegant, dark berries, cherry and coco. Fleshy, rich and round, this mature wine is still young and will only get better from here. 4,201 Views Tasted Apr 2, 2009This example lacked the elegance and complexity found in the best bottles. Ruby with bricking and offering more of a bright fruit profile than is usually found in 70 Palmer, this bottle was not a perfect example 2,907 Views Tasted Jul 1, 2008 |
When to Drink Chateau Palmer, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Palmer is not a wine for drinking young. The wine can be tannic, concentrated and reserved, in its youth. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 2-4 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.
Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Palmer is usually better with at least 12-15 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Palmer offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 15-45 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Chateau Palmer with Wine, Food, Pairings
Chateau Palmer is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Palmer is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Palmer is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.