The 2016 Château Palmer is the Margaux Third Growth’s Grand Vin, released Ex-Château in 2026 as a “Ten Years On” bottling. It comes from Palmer’s gravelly Margaux terroir and, in most reports, is built on an almost mirror blend of 47% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, finished with 6% Petit Verdot, and raised in 65% new French oak. One source reports a different blend and there is also a small discrepancy on alcohol (listed as 13% to 13.5%), but the broad picture is consistent: this is a classic Palmer year with uncommon concentration and polish.

The vintage conditions help explain the wine’s scale and freshness. The estate cites a hot, dry summer followed by a cool, sunny autumn, a pattern that pushed ripeness while preserving energy. In tasting terms, the wine is repeatedly described as deeply aromatic and structured without heaviness. Great Bordeaux Wines notes blackcurrant, cherry, and mint aromatics and calls it “corpulent yet sophisticated,” with “vivid tension,” “well-managed acidity and tannins,” and a “mesmerizing aftertaste.”

Professional reviews for Palmer 2016 are outstanding across the board, with several excellent top-tier ratings. Two critics go all the way to 100 points. Jeb Dunnuck calls it “the finest vintage I’ve ever tasted from this estate, surpassing the 2009 and 2010,” and adds that it “will be drinkable with just 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for half a century.” Jeff Leve also awards 100 points, describing it as “full bodied, silky, polished, fresh, vibrant and pure,” with “flawless purity, energy and sensuality,” and predicting it “will age for decades with no effort.”

Other major critics reinforce that view, with scores clustered in the mid-to-high 90s (Wine Spectator 96, Decanter 97, and 95–97 from Vinous, Wine Advocate, and James Suckling depending on the source). Taken together, Palmer 2016 reads as a benchmark modern Margaux: intense, controlled, and built for long aging, especially in this later Ex-Château release.