Château Palmer, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, 1990

Vault Wine: This wine is stored in our vault.

Overview of the Wine
A gentleman, officer, and aide-de-camp of the Prince of Wales, Charles Palmer was famous at the English court as a ladies man and for his military victories. He fell under the spell of Bordeaux as well as the charms of Marie de Gascq, a beautiful widow who convinced him to buy her estate.

Charles Palmer devoted a great deal of time, energy, and money to developing his property. The Major General lived mainly in England, and so the estate was managed by his authorized representative, Mr Grey, who helped to increase the wine's reputation among wealthy connoisseurs.

In June 1853, the brothers Isaac and Emile Péreire, famous bankers and rivals of the Rothschilds, bought Palmer and began investing in the estate immediately. However, there was not enough time to bring Chateau Palmer up to first growth status in time for the famous 1855 classification. It was thus ranked a Third Growth, although it is widely recognized as among the greatest wines of Bordeaux.

Several families of Bordeaux, English, and Dutch extraction all involved in the wine trade, united to buy Palmer in 1938 and have worked hard to give the estate its present reputation. These families have always given priority to quality, despite the financial risk this entailed. They have unfailingly applied the principles that have made the great wines of Bordeaux so successful: authenticity, quality, and permanence.

Winemaker
Jean Bouteiller

Grape / Blend
54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

Origin
Margaux, Bordeaux, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The quality of the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon was superb. 1990 had the structure of the greatest warm years, with low acidity, high degrees, concentrated ripe fruit, and supple tannins. An expressive, aromatic, exuberant wine, just as great as its two illustrious predecessors, but even more approachable.

96 Points - Jane Anson
Velvety tannins, perfumed floral nose, opening to cedar, mint leaf, red cherry puree, all expanding outwards through the palate, with finely boned tannins adding a touch of control. Plenty of tertiary notes of truffles, campfire smoke and saffron-laced spices, but the fruit is still very much in tact. As it opens further you get intense aromatics of violet and exotic spices. You could sit with this for hours, just enjoying how finessed Cabernet Sauvignon can become with age - and how the clay that underpins the gravels on so much of Palmer's vineyard has helped keep freshness. Exceptional, and it has been delivering at this level for at least a decade. Unusual for Palmer to have all four varieties in the blend (Cabernet Franc is the one that is typically missing), giving an extra reason to mark out the 1990 vintage. Harvest September 18 to October 6. Same owners as today - a joint venture between the Mahler-Besse and Sichel families. (JA)

96 Points - Jane Anson
Velvety tannins, perfumed floral nose, opening to cedar, mint leaf, red cherry puree, all expanding outwards through the palate, with finely boned tannins adding a touch of control. Plenty of tertiary notes of truffles, campfire smoke and saffron-laced spices, but the fruit is still very much in tact. As it opens further you get intense aromatics of violet and exotic spices. You could sit with this for hours, just enjoying how finessed Cabernet Sauvignon can become with age - and how the clay that underpins the gravels on so much of Palmer's vineyard has helped keep freshness. Exceptional, and it has been delivering at this level for at least a decade. Unusual for Palmer to have all four varieties in the blend (Cabernet Franc is the one that is typically missing), giving an extra reason to mark out the 1990 vintage. Harvest September 18 to October 6. Same owners as today - a joint venture between the Mahler-Besse and Sichel families. (JA)

95 Points - Vinous
The 1990 Palmer has long been one of my favorite vintages; at 31 years of age, it is still utterly sublime. It opens wonderfully in the glass with blackberry, forest floor, crushed iris petals and just a touch of dried blood. You would actually think that this comes from a cooler growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins. This has evolved since I last tasted it, mellowed and lost some of its plumpness, becoming more linear and almost reserved towards the finish. There's a touch of green bell pepper on the aftertaste. Wonderful. (NM)

94 Points - John Gilman
I get the distinct feeling that I have not been drinking enough Château Palmer in recent times! This magnum of the 1990 Palmer was absolutely stunning, jumping from the glass in a beautiful blend of black cherries, mulberries, black truffles, cigar smoke, a fine base of dark soil tones, tobacco leaf and a well done framing of toasty new oak. On the palate the wines is pure, full-bodied and nicely sappy at the core, with extra depth and grip clearly apparent from the magnum format. The finish is very long, complex and still moderately tannic, with very buried tannins, a velvety palate texture and great lift and bounce on the backend. This is simply gorgeous in magnum! 

92 Points - Wine Advocate
This was the finest bottle of the 1990 Palmer I have yet tasted, and it appears I slightly underrated it in earlier reviews. A complex bouquet of earth, blue and black fruits, licorice, incense, and spice box is followed by a round, silky, voluptuous wine that falls just short of achieving the depth and richness found in such recent vintages as 2000, 2005, 2006, and 2008. (RP)

92 Points - Wine Spectator
A beauty. Seductive, with currant, berry, tobacco, cedar and flowers on the nose. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. A joyous Palmer. (JS)

Product size: 750ml