In a continuation of my amazing interview
with Jean-Louis Carbonnier of the prestigious Bordeaux property Château Palmer, this week we talk more about the
wines of the Château and what makes them so good.
Here's a link to the podcast: CHÂTEAU PALMER
(WARNING: You may want to brush up on the Bordeaux podcasts before listening -- we get into some nerdy details!)
We weave through a million
different sub-topics, but here are the main points:
- We first discuss the 1855 Classification of Left Bank Bordeaux Chateaux, which many believe gives Palmer the shaft.
- We discuss pricing of Bordeaux wine and whether or not it’s fair.
- Then we talk about Palmer – its history, the blend, the terroir, the winemaking, and how a wine comes to taste as heavenly as this.
- We briefly discuss Alter Ego, another very high quality wine made by Palmer with a slightly different blend and a much more affordable price tag.
- Then we wrap with Jean-Louis’s most important takeaways about Palmer and Bordeaux.
Thanks again to Jean-Louis and Château Palmer
for educating us on this historic, classic, and unbelievably
delicious wine!
I was so happy to see this post! The team at Palmer have done an incredible job and were by far the most hospitable and enjoyable stop during our trip through Bordeaux in September.
ReplyDeleteTheir property is fascinating by itself (provides a view around Margaux and Chateau Margaux is even visible in the near distance) but their fermentation facility stood out as the most impressive part to me. The team uses these huge conical stainless steel hoppers to transport grapes from the destemming machine to the fermenters. They do not use pumps (which most Chateau avoid these days) so they use these huge winches that lift these conical hoppers to the 2nd story. Then the team rolls them over each fermenter, opens the lid, and drops the grapes directly in. This is only one aspect of their impressive process but it was unique and very cool to see. Even my wife liked it!
Lastly, Alter Ego is a brilliant wine. It is definitely not a daily drinker but it's an incredible quality for the money. If you are going to spend money on a quality Bordeaux wine, this is a winner.
Thanks again for the post/review and thanks for doing your part to make wine more fun!
- Ben and Amy from Amsterdam
Ben and Amy,
ReplyDeleteDid you listen to the podcast? We did get into the fermentation tanks and my skepticism surrounding them. You should definitely hear what Jean-Louis says about their winemaking techniques -- very interesting dialog!
Thanks for writing!
Elizabeth