Chateau Palmer
Owner: Sichel and Mahler-Besse families
1855 Classification: Third Growth
The Liv-ex Classification 2019: Second Tier
Vineyard area: 66 ha
Colour: Red
Grape varieties planted: 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot
Other wines: Alter Ego Palmer
About the Chateau Palmer
In the early 1800's, General Charles Palmer, on a stagecoach coming back from the Battle of Toulouse, met the widow Marie de Gascq and purchased land from her, which became the birth of Chateau Palmer, one of the best known of the Bordeaux estates.
Palmer went on to London to promote his Claret, but eventually his aggressive expansion of his vinyard to 163ha became too much and by 1843 his financial situation, as well as his marriage, had fallen apart. The estate ended up being sold, but with the name intact.
The French bankers, Isaac & Emile Perreire, took ownership in 1853. Their wealth allowed them to improve the property, which eventually led to Palmer wine being hailed among the best in Margaux. This came to an end in 1938 when war, the depression and diseases led to the vineyard being sold yet again.
However, in the last couple of generations there have been significant efforts made to reclaim Palmer's place among the leaders in Bordeaux estates. It was bought by 4 well-known Bordeaux families and 2 of those still run it today, headed by wine-maker Thomas Duroux.
Chateau Palmer index
The Palmer Index during the past decade has largely followed the parent index (Left Bank 200), but less volatile, and since 2014 rose 89%. The Left Bank 200, on the other hand went up 74% since 2009.
The steady increase has mostly slowed this year with the exception of the En Primeur campaign that gained renewed enthusiasm for Palmer again. The 2018 Palmer vintage outperformed all the other vintages from that estate and the small product run, combined with the praises of many critics, made it greatly sought after and a noted sell out.
The highest cost among the physical vintages are known along Bordeaux as “on-vintages”, with the years 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015 & 2016 all scoring 97 points or more.
