Château Palmer 2022 is a supremely elegant and expressive Margaux that beautifully balances opulence with finesse. Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, violets, rose petals, cocoa, graphite, sandalwood, and subtle spice rise from a silky, layered palate. The wine is full-bodied yet weightless in texture, with exceptionally fine tannins, vibrant freshness, and remarkable aromatic lift. It captures the sensual, perfumed character of Margaux while maintaining impressive structure and depth.
Professional Ratings
- James Suckling: 99–100 pts
- Wine Advocate: 97–99 pts
- Vinous (Antonio Galloni): 98–100 pts
- Jeb Dunnuck: 98–100 pts
- Decanter: 98–99 pts
Critics praised its purity, floral intensity, seamless texture, and extraordinary balance, calling it one of the most complete wines of the vintage. Château Palmer 2022 is a reference-point Margaux, combining power, elegance, and immense aging potential.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown 98 Points
Composed of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Palmer is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs quite a lot of shaking to wake up scents of boysenberry preserves, crème de cassis, and dark chocolate, opening out to hints of iris, star anise, sandalwood, and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with blackberry layers, supported by velvety tannins and well-matched freshness, finishing with a firework display of mineral sparks. Stunning!
James Suckling 98 Points
Lots of creme de cassis with cedar, dried flowers, blackberries and dark cherries. Opulent and flamboyant. Full-bodied and layered, this grows with plush, velvety tannins that caress every inch of your palate. Extremely long and attractive in the finish. Well-designed in this ripe year. 51% merlot, 45% cabernet sauvignon, and 4% petit verdot. Best after 2029.
Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
The Grand Vin 2022 Château Palmer is based on 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, from tiny yields of 22 hectoliters per hectare. It's a deep, unctuous, fabulously textured 2022 that does everything right. Ripe blackcurrants, blueberries, liquid violets, and freshly sharpened pencil notes define the aromatics, and it's full-bodied, with a pure, layered, seamless mouthfeel, a remarkable floral character, and a great finish. It's a ripe, opulent, incredibly sexy Palmer that will benefit from a decade of bottle age and evolve gracefully over the following 30-40 years.
Technical Information
“The average yield for Margaux was 30 hl/ha. We did just 22 here,” Palmer’s CEO Thomas Duroux sighed. “The berries were so tiny. My expectation was that this would be a climate driven vintage. But it’s the origin of the berries that stands out. The soils worked, and the vines never stopped, except some very young vines. It was a long harvest, from the 7th of September until the 5th of October. Knowing that the wines might be high in alcohol but not so high in acidity, we knew we needed a great backbone—we needed perfect phenolic ripeness. I'm super happy about this 2022 backbone.”
