Winemaking is currently carried out by the talented Thomas Duroux (formerly the technical director at Tenute dell’Ornallaia). He arrived at Château Palmer in 2004 and has overseen many of the greatest vintages produced at the estate. Inter-plot vinification of 54 separate individual terroir sites takes place in 54 separate tanks prior to blending at which point the wine is designated to make up part of the Grand Vin or its second label, Alter Ego de Palmer. The quantity of the Grand Vin produced has been dramatically reduced to around 10,000 cases per year since the introduction of Alter Ego de Palmer in 1988 which is typically around 8,000 cases per year. Jeff Leve, of The Wine Cellar Insider, says: “If a reclassification ever took place, it would certainly deserve Fourth Growth Status.” Château Palmer also occasionally produces Palmer Historical XIX Century Wine - a nod to a nineteenth century tradition of bolstering Bordeaux varietals with ripeness from the Northern Rhône, in this case 15% Syrah - and a white made from Muscadelle, Loset and Sauvignon Gris. Production of these wines is only around 100 cases, they are therefore rarely seen.