Chateau Palmer | FINE+RARE

About the Producer

Château Palmer has cemented its position in the very top echelon of fine wine’s greats. A consistently high-scoring Margaux, the Troisième Cru Grand Vin is one of the most sought-after and iconic wines in the world. Some of Palmer’s best vineyard sites are reserved for their Merlot which typically makes up over 50% of the Grand Vin blend and is responsible for the generous and supple style Château Palmer is known for. Originally part of Château d’Issan, the vineyards were separated and what is now Château Palmer became Château de Gascq. Owner Madame de Gascq, who apparently boasted that her wines were as good as Lafite’s, sold the property to Charles Palmer, a British field officer in the Duke of Wellington’s army.

Pulling on his charm and connections to the Prince Regent, he managed to increase the size and standing of the estate considerably. When he died Château Palmer passed to the Pereire family, banker brothers and rivals of the Rothschilds, who built the famous conical roofed Château and vastly elevated the status of the estate, unfortunately not quite in time for the 1855 Classifications. The Pereire brothers were forced to sell under the combined weight of The Great Depression, phylloxera and war. The site was rescued by a number of families, two of which still form the majority shareholders today: Mähler-Besse and Sichel.

In the vineyard

The 55 hectare site, located on the gravel plateau in the centre of Margaux, converted to biodynamic farming in 2014. Thomas Duroux (Directeur General of Château Palmer) says: "The biodynamic approach gives more identity in each block, and we can understand the diversity and adapt the winemaking". The average age of the vines is 40-45 years old and they are formed of a roughly even split between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, plus around 6% Petit Verdot.

In the winery

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.

About the Producer