Château Palmer

Among the mythic wines of the Margaux Appellation, Château Palmer has always stood apart, as instantly recognisable for its midnight blue label as for its inimitable bouquet, an uncommon blend of power and delicacy. It’s a strength of character drawn from a fabled terroir, and from an ensemble of vibrant personalities who have forged the estate’s identity through history. Emerging in the 17th century, the estate only became Château Palmer in 1814, when it was acquired by Charles Palmer, a dashing British Major General who instilled his namesake with enough éclat and glamour to see it become renowned throughout London’s aristocratic circles. In 1853, the Péreire brothers, among the preeminent financiers of Napoleon III’s France, brought the rigour and vision needed for Château Palmer to be ranked among the most prestigious classified growths of the 1855 classification. In 1938, a consortium of four leading families in the Bordeaux wine trade acquired the estate, heralding an era of momentous vintages and deep-rooted stability – indeed, Palmer is still owned by the descendants of two of these families. Today, the men and women leading Château Palmer into the 21st century are rhyming tradition with innovation in their passionate pursuit to capture the subtleties of one of the world’s most legendary terroirs. Palmer’s eminently complex wines, combining aromatic richness and extraordinary elegance with a beguiling velvet texture and remarkable ageing potential, are reflections of those spirited efforts and all that distinguishes this 66 ha estate. A veritable mosaic of soils, a unique vineyard planting of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon subtly enriched with Petit Verdot, and pioneering farming techniques that respect nature’s exquisite equilibrium, together make these wines transcendent expressions of the Margaux appellation.