Château Palmer: Worth Every Penny (and that's saying a lot!)

Every now and then all normal wine people have outstanding wine experiences -- it's normal in the life of a wine lover to be in the right time and place to try something really unique (if it hasn't happened to you yet, stick with it...I promise it will!). For me, it's always clustered at the same time of year. Springtime is when great wine events and trade shows seem to crop up near me and I get to try some gems before going back to my daily drink -- which has jewels, albeit in a lower price tier since I'm forking over the cash!

I've already discussed the opportunity I had to taste a Port from 1855 with Taylor Fladgate, and the chance I had to sample a bunch of Oregon Pinot Noir side by side by side, but another standout experience I had in association with the High Museum Wine Auction was the chance to spend some time with Jean-Louis from Château Palmer and try his two exquisite Bordeaux wines before they were gone, which took far longer than I thought it would, since the crowd wasn't very French-wine focused and didn't know what they had in front of them.

I had tried Château Palmer's second label, Alter Ego, once before but the real stuff is almost 5 times the price and hard to get your hands on so it wasn't ever on my menu. 

The other thing about Château Palmer -- it's a big deal in the wine world. Chatterbox and wine nerd that I am, as M.C. Ice and I approached the table I was nervous! I kind of stood in awe seeing the bottle of Palmer sitting there. This is one of the finest wines in Bordeaux and I was about to get a pour from the Frenchman representing it in the U.S. I'm not embarrassed to say I had sweaty palms going up to the table.

The palms dried out almost instantly though, once I realized that Jean-Louis was down to earth (when I go up to New York next I'm going to try to record a podcast with him because I think it would be AWESOME to hear about Bordeaux from his perspective), hilarious, and a great teacher about his wines and the wines of Bordeaux.

A Quick History on Palmer

For the geeks among us -- a little background on Château Palmer. For the non-geeks, it may still be interesting since it reads a little like a soap opera script.

In the 1700s the Château was part of the highly esteemed Château d'Issan in the famous area of Margaux on the Left Bank of Bordeaux. It was divided in 1748. The Gascq family acquired what is now Palmer and it got cred almost immediately -- Château de Gascq was the wine served at Versailles under Louis XIV.

Clearly the Gascqs did a great job making wine. Sadly, they did a less good job at making heirs -- in 1814 the final family heir, a widow with no kids, sold the property to a retired military man and semi-professional womanizer, if rumor has it right, General Charles Palmer.

The French had no love for the English, but they owe a debt of gratitude in this case. The Englishman Palmer invested in the property, grew it, and by the 1830s created a reputation that rivaled that of Château Margaux, currently one of the most expensive wines in the world. Palmer was a playboy who liked to live large and although a great marketer who elevated the estate's reputation in London, he put some credence to the adage -- "You can make a small fortune in the wine industry if you start with a big one," since but the 1840s the dude was broke and had to sell his gem.

The wines suffered under the new ownership and in the 1840s the vineyards got walloped by mildew. During this time, interim ownership tried to fight the rot but the vineyards were on the losing side of the battle. 

In 1853 Isaac and Émile Pereire, brothers and Bordeaux natives who had made a fortune in banking and real estate, acquired the property. They poured a ton of money into the place but they were fighting against the clock -- in the midst of a the issues with mildew, the famous 1855 classification was taking place (see this post for more info on what this is). 

Château Palmer, which some may have once considered a first growth and most would have considered second growth worthy, got kicked in the teeth, securing a spot in the third growths -- meaning they wouldn't garner the attention and prices of those better ranked. Since the classification still drives price and prestige today, this was no small event...it really sucked for Palmer.

Still, the Pereires powered on. They built a new, fancy Château which still stands today. They replanted the entire Château in 1858 to combat disease.  

The Pereire held the property for 80 years, but it slid out of their hands in 1938 when the pressures from the Depression and WWI finally forced them to sell. 

Four families, active in the Bordeaux wine world, invested in a share situation called the Societé Civile de Château Palmer. Two families still own the property today. The winery has been restored to its former glory and I'm here to tell you -- their two wines (that's all they make) are amazing and worth every dollar...Even more, actually, but given that the 1855 classification sets the price in large part, it doesn't garner the price of the first growths. 

I'm saying that it's probably under-priced, but I don't want to give the impression that these wines are cheap or everyday wines -- they are in high demand. So much so that in 2008, Palmer started an authenticity program where you can enter a bottle number on their Web site and ensure it's the real deal -- modern wine fraud is still around at the top end. Pretty cool use of technology, if you ask me.

Location and What It Means

The Château is located in Margaux, an area with 5 separate communes and some variation in style. If I were going to typify the ones I've had, I'd say they tend to be super complex with floral, spicy, and elegant flavors. They're not as powerful as the wines from Pauilliac (also on the Left Bank and pretty famous), and that's the beauty of them.

The Two Lights-Out Wines

Today Palmer makes a second wine, Alter Ego de Palmer, that is both more affordable and drinkable before 10 - 15 years have passed. Although still difficult to get, these wines present a great opportunity to taste wine from the best Chateaux for a price that is great for a normal person's splurge. The second wines are really hard to get sometimes, but great to know about in case you ever see any on sale or want something special but don't want to spend hundreds on a wine.

Now to the fabulousity that is Château Palmer's wines...

Wine #1: 2006 Alter Ego de Palmer 

I previously reviewed the 2008, which was different from the 2006, so check out the post on that to see how vintage really makes a difference in flavor. Alter Ego is made to be accessible earlier, with less aging in oak than Château Palmer.

The Blend: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $70

Color:  Rich crimson but not opaque. It didn't have heavy, thick legs since the alcohol was moderate. It looked like a very drinkable wine but I couldn't say the color told that much of a story.

Smell: This was such a complex wine. It had a little of everything. First and foremost, the wine smelled of earth or soil. It had a "somewhereness" that I think is the hallmark of all the best Bordeaux wines I've had. There was a strong floral smell -- like violets -- and a hit of blackcurrant and blackberries. I got a strong whiff of sweet oak -- kind of like a dense forest after the rain, and then a bunch of tobacco. The wine changed with every sniff and it was delicious!

Taste: This is going to sound so freaking lame, but the wine literally melted in my mouth. It tasted like black cherries, potting soil, tobacco, and tea. The tannins were present but they were soft against the blackberry and black cherry fruit flavors. The wine was like liquid velvet. It was so floral, earthy, with just enough tannin to make it easy to drink. This would be great with food. 

Drink or sink?: Drink, all day long. What a wine. This is a new favorite when I have a little extra to spend. An insanely delicious wine that is a steal for what it is. Second wines can be a great deal, and this one is so special because it's not a lower quality version of Palmer but one that shows different terroir and is a different blend than Palmer. I love this wine. 

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Wine #2: 2004 Château Palmer 

The Blend: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $300

Color: Also a crimson color, this was super pigmented -- the glass was stained with color and the wine looked thick and rich. I expected a mouthful.

Smell: Even more than the Alter Ego, this wine had a rich earthiness to it -- you could taste the land where it grew...in a good way. It was was like soil and gravel (like when you drive on a gravel road and the dust kicks up) but also so elegant. There were things in this wine I'd never smelled in a red wine before -- it smelled floral almost like a gardenia and then like pear. It had a good hit of black cherry and was spicy -- like light cinnamon. The wine smelled light and heavy, subtle and bold all at the same time. My brain was going nuts trying to figure out what I was smelling besides "amazing."

Taste: Blackcurrant, black cherry with elegant floral aromatics and a big hit of tobacco and dark chocolate. Just like the smell, the earth was so prominent but the wine was so elegant. Flowers, fruit, wet soil, great mouthdrying tannins and moderate mouthwatering acid made the wine a perfect bottle. This is what winemaking is all about -- a combination of nature and a slight bit of nurture yielded utter perfection. It was a little velvety but also silky on the finish -- the combination of textures was superb.

Drink or sink?: Drink. This is one of the best wines I've ever had. Nothing more to say.

Have you had one of the top wines of Bordeaux? What was it like? Drop a comment below!!! 


Also, let me know if you'd like to hear Jean-Louis on the podcast. I think he'd be amazing but I want to know if you agree.