Palmer 2018 has been released at €240 per bottle ex-negociant, up 25% on the 2017’s opening price of €192 and the same as the 2016. It is being offered at £2,892 per 12×75, up 23% on the 2017 release of £2,350 per case.
Antonio Galloni (Vinous), who awarded the wine a barrel range of 95-98 points, recently claimed “the 2018 Palmer is a freak of nature from yields of just 11 hectoliters per hectare”. Due to low yields, there will be no 2018 release of the Chateau’s Second Wine – Alter Ego.
In his tasting note, Galloni also noted that “this extravagantly ripe Margaux won’t be for everyone, but it is a stunning, head-spinning wine that may, in time, very well join the ranks of the truly epic Palmers”. James Suckling (94-95) seemed to agree: “I have never tasted anything like this in all my 38 years as a wine critic in Bordeaux”.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (The Wine Advocate) was another critic impressed with the quality of today’s release. She gave the wine 97-99 points and described it as “full-bodied, concentrated and downright powerful in the mouth”.
For James Molesworth, Palmer 2018 was a potential 100-point wine. Molesworth said he suspects “this will be one of the most talked-about wines of the vintage”.
Prices for Palmer show 80% correlation to critic scores. Based on today’s release price, the wine stands above the ‘Fair Value’ line and all other recent vintages available in the market; however, the very low production levels this year might make this a highly desirable collectors’ item.
Followers of Parker might also consider the highly scored 2005 and 2010 vintages, available at approximately 11% discount.
Looking for more?
Our Bordeaux 2018 pages contain everything you need to know about this year’s En Primeur campaign, including:
- Critic scores
- Release prices
- Bordeaux 2018 analysis tool[members only]
- The conversation on social media
- Liv-ex’s fair value methodology
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