Tasted at the Chateau Palmer vertical in London, the magnum of 1993 Chateau Palmer was tasted blind and turned out to be the biggest, pleasant surprise of the vertical. It has a well-defined nose: red berries, sage and a hint of fennel, expressive and terroir-driven. It gains intensity in the glass. The palate is very well defined with red cherry and cranberry on the entry, giving way to cedar and sous-bois on the autumnal, very "classic" finish. I was not the only one bowled over by the quality of this wine, shocked when its vintage was revealed. Having never tasted it before, it constitutes one of the finest Left Bank wines that I have tasted from the somewhat disregarded 1993 vintage. Tasted May 2015.

Despite a healthy dark ruby color, this diluted, thin, emaciated wine lacks depth and body. High tannin in the finish will cause the wine to become increasingly angular, and, in all likelihood, dry out.

Supersilky wine featuring toasted oak, berry and cherry character, medium body, fine tannins and delicate finish. Needs time; better in 1997. -JS