Incredible aromatics, floral and expressive, jumping out the glass and one of the most inviting on the nose in terms of scents with sour cherries, sweet tobacco, cedar and mint. Juicy, alive and vibrant on the palate, this has energy and focus straight away. Lively but well controlled, still offering lots of opulent polish but in a serene, charming way. This has tension and grip as well as bounce and a subtle chew to the tannins. A lingering headiness sustains the finish with moreish accents of salt, graphite and flint - this is seductive and nowhere near tired. Claude and Yves Chardon were in charge for the 1982 vintage.

Whereas the 1983 Palmer really deserves a bit more cellaring, the 1982 is in full bloom and is a delicious vintage for current drinking. The excellent bouquet offers up a mélange of sweet red cherries, mulberries, summer truffles, cigar box and violets. On the palate the wine is medium-full, sweet and creamy, with classic size and shape, good, solid mid-palate depth and lovely shape on the gently tannic finish. This is a relatively low acids vintage for Palmer, and consequently the ’82 does not deliver quite the same level of grip and brightness as the very finest vintages of this property, but there is still plenty of charm in this underrated 1982. It will drink very, very well for several more decades, and is clearly a vintage to keep an eye out for, as it is undervalued in the current market. (Drink between 2007-2035)

Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the magnum of 1982 Château Palmer is one of the best examples that I have tasted, even if it is no match for the 1983. It is a little curmudgeonly at first, perhaps slightly pinched, but it unfolds nicely and reveals quite mineral-rich, soy-tinged black fruit interlaced with graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin lending this backbone. It is missing some weight towards the finish, but as it opens in the glass, it reveals hidden facets such as tobacco and tertiary notes, allied with poise and finesse. Granted, it falls short of what could have been given the benevolent vintage and quality of its peers, however this magnum suggests that in larger formats might be worth seeking out. - Neal Martin