About the winery
Location and Terroir
Château Palmer is located in Margaux-Cantenac in the Bordeaux region of France, overlooking the Gironde estuary. The Plateau des Brauzes forms a terraced formation above the estuary. The terraces were created from deposits of the Garonne during two ice ages and contain quartnary gravels with lydite, quartzite and chalcedony. Compact gravel and clay soils sit on a limestone base; the gravel layers provide drainage and store heat.
Climate and Viticulture
The temperate oceanic climate is influenced by the surrounding bodies of water and the Gironde. The maritime character softens temperature fluctuations and helps preserve acidity in the grapes. After the 2014 vintage, the estate switched to organic and biodynamic cultivation and describes its viticulture as an ecosystem-based approach in a diverse, circular operating system. The structure of the vineyard is based roughly equally on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, complemented by Petit Verdot. Some old Merlot vines were planted in the 1930s.
History and Classification
The estate traces its origins back to the Château de Gascq, which has been known since the early 18th century for the quality of its wines. Charles Palmer acquired it in 1814 and expanded and modernised the property until 1831. Émile and Isaac Pereire took it over in 1853 and reorganised the vineyard around a new Château. Since the acquisition by four Bordeaux merchant families in 1938, Château Palmer has been owned by the descendants of the Mähler-Besse and Sichel families. In the 1855 classification, the estate was ranked as a troisième cru.
Vinification and Style
The grapes are fermented parcel by parcel, partly also according to subdivisions within individual parcels, in temperature-controlled conical vessels holding 89 to 195 hectolitres. Maturation lasts about 20 to 22 months and takes place first in 225-litre barrels, then in 30-hectolitre vessels; less than half of the barrels from the first phase are new. The Grand Vin is described as elegant and fine, with a velvety texture, floral, fruity and spicy aromas, and a fleshy structure. Merlot stands for generosity and suppleness, Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and substance, and Petit Verdot for spicy notes. The wines are intended for longer ageing and continue to develop after bottling.
