Chateau Palmer |
| Newstime：2009-08-04 09:33:08 Befrom： Writer： |
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History
The origins of Chateau Palmer lie in the Gascq estate, which predates it by several centuries. The Gascq family was an influential Bordeaux dynasty that not only held sway over an impressive estate, but were also active in the local parliament. Their landholdings were spread over much of the Médoc, and in 1748 they were augmented by the acquisition of some land near Margaux, following the dissolution of the Issan estate. In the early 19th Century, the vineyard was purchased by a General Charles Palmer, who served under Wellington in the English army, and who had arrived in Bordeaux on his way back from the Battle of Toulouse in 1814. He acquired the estate from Brunet de Ferrière, the widow of Blaise Jean Charles Alexandre de Gascq for the sum of just 100000 francs. In 1816 Palmer began a program of expansion, acquiring new land and planting more vineyards, and within two decades he owned 163 hectares of land, of which 82 hectares were planted to vines, as well as buildings in Issan, Cantenac and Margaux.The Major General lived mainly in England, and so the estate was managed by his authorized representative, Mr. Grey, who helped to increase the wine's reputation among wealthy connoisseurs. Palmer's Claret was much sought after by London clubs, and was particularly appreciated by the future King George IV, whom Charles often accompanied during his night time excursions. Palmer remained a lover of fine food and wine, spending lavish sums on his gastronomic pleasures and living an increasingly ruinous lifestyle. He was obliged to sell his magnificent Médoc estate in 1843.
The estate, when purchased by the Péreire banking family in 1853, was a credit to Palmer's immense passion for an extraordinary wine. From 1844 to 1853, during the oidium crisis that raged in Bordeaux, Château Palmer was managed by the Caisse Hypothécaire de Paris (an agricultural mortgage corporation). In June 1853, the brothers Isaac and Emile Péreire, famous Second Empire bankers and rivals of the Rothschilds, bought Palmer for 413,000 francs, a very considerable amount at the time. Like General Palmer, the Péreire brothers were exceptional people. Born in Bordeaux - Emile in 1800 and Isaac in 1806 - the Péreire brothers played a major role in modernizing France during the Second Empire. They set about investing in the estate from the year they bought it (1853). However, there was not enough time to bring Château Palmer up to first growth status in time for the famous 1855 classification. It was thus ranked a third growth, although Palmer is widely recognized as among the very greatest wines of Bordeaux.Isaac and Emile Péreire continued to embellish their estate. They asked the Bordeaux architect Burguet to build the present château in 1856, taking the project begun by General Palmer to its logical conclusion. The Péreire brothers and their descendents battled oidium and phylloxera, survived the Franco-Prussian war, and made it through the First World War... Only the abysmal economic crisis of the 1930s forced them to sell the estate.
Then, several families of Bordeaux, English, and Dutch extraction (the Sichel, Mähler-Besse, Ginestet, and Miailhe families), all involved in the wine trade, united to buy Palmer in 1938 and have worked hard to give the estate its present reputation. The descendents of the Sichel and Mähler-Besse families are still major shareholders of Château Palmer, furthering the work done by their grandparents.
If we look back a few decades we can see the wines challenging those of Chateau Margaux for the best in the appellation. Indeed, were it not for the renaissance of Chateau Margaux following its purchase by the Mentzelopoulos family in 1977 Palmer may well have been the top wine of the appellation today.
Nowadays’ Owner: SCI Château Palmer
Technique Information
Location: It is situated in the communes Margaux and Cantenac, along the famous Route des Châteaux.
Appellation: Appellation Margaux Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Margaux(1st Growth of Margaux in 1855)
Chateau Rauza-Segla(2nd Growth of Margaux in 1855)
Acreage: 52 hectares of vines
Soil: Several meters thick of gravely rises. It consists of brittle black lydite, white and yellow quartz, quartzite mottled with black, green or blue, and white chalcedony.
Grape Varieties: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot.
Average age of vines: 38 years
Cultivation Density: 10,000 vines per hectare
Viticulture: Pest management using biological methods. Entirely hand-picked.
Winemaking:
The present vat-room was built in 1995, temperature-controlled in cone-shaped stainless steel; Grapes are fermented for 8-10 days; The wine is left on the skins for the next 10 days to achieve perfect extraction. Racked four times in the first year cellar; Egg white fining before being bottled unfiltered.
Aging:
Château Palmer(First Label): 21 months in oak of which 45% is new
Alter Ego de Palmer(Second Label): 17 months in oak, of which 25-30% is new
Yield: 45 hl/ha
Brand: Chateau Palmer(First Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
Alter Ego de Palmer(Second Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
Annually Production: Château Palmer(First Label): 11,000-12,000 cases
Alter Ego de Palmer(Second Label): 7,000-8,000 cases
Character:
Château Palmer (First Label): Château Palmer's finesse, elegance and concentration, typical of the greatest wines of Margaux. Its finesse and elegance are legendary, and its aromatic complexity is every bit as remarkable. The subtle balance between powerful, but understated tannins and aromatic richness makes Palmer an incomparably charming wine, even when very young. Palmer could easily claim to the rank of a second, and is the only third growth wine that can challenge the first growth.
Best Vintages: Château Palmer (First Label): 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005
Awards: 3rd Grand Cru Classe in 1855 Margaux.
Website: www.chateau-palmer.com
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 65-75%, 10-14℃ (average 12℃)
Serving Temperature: 17-19℃
Optimum drinking and ageing potential: 10-30 year
Food match:
Château Palmer(First Label):
Western Food: The kind of food to enjoy a Chateau Palmer very much depends on the maturity of the wine. Chateau Palmer is still a young that could be severed with venison, beef meat, or duck. It can match with a slightly spicy food.
Beef, poultry, cheese, pasta with cream sauce, hearty stew, pizza, pork, veal, game, grilled sirloin, braised abalone, roasted rib-eye, roasted rack of lamb, grilled duck breast.
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