General Charles Palmer arrived in France in 1814. He bought Château de Gascq, expanded the estate, and give it his name. The famous Parisian bankers, the Péreires, acquired it in 1853. Since 1938, Palmer has been jointly owned by English, French, and Dutch families.

Palmer is located on the Gironde estuary. Dating back to the Quaternary Period, the soil consists of deep gravelly rises of Garonne gravel. The vine roots sink several meters into this outstanding terroir which also includes black lydite, quartz, and white calcedony.

The grapes are picked entirely by hand at peak ripeness and carefully sorted. They are put into small crates in order to avoid bruising before the fruit arrives at the cellar. The grapes are once again sorted in the cellar before going into the fermentation vat. Made from thin soil that produces wine of character, Palmer acquires body and volume during long barrel ageing that can last up to 24 months. Even in its youth, Château Palmer displays great finesse, remarkable balance, and beautiful complexity. Great aging potential.

In the Bottle

Since 1990s, Château Palmer has practically achieved "super-second" status, and is universally considered one of the great growths whose present quality relegates its (3rd growth) ranking in the 1855 classification obsolete. Palmer is quite close to Château Margaux in quality, and many wine lovers feel Palmer has the elegance and complexity of the very finest wines in the appellation.

Among recent vintages, the remarkable 2000 and 2005 Palmer are worthy of special mention. In fact, Palmer has become so good and reliable that one can hardly fault a single vintage since the turn of the century. Among older vintages, the 1996, 1990, and 1989 Palmer are of particular interest. 1983 Palmer was an important benchmark for the estate.

Market prices show that Palmer's quality is hardly a secret, and it is unfortunately becoming increasingly expensive.

-

Château Palmer, Alter Ego (second wine)