Chateau Palmer
Der britische General Charles Palmer kaufte 1814 das Weingut "de Gascq" und gab ihm seinen Namen, 1843 musste das Chateau allerdings gepfändet werden und wurde dann ein paar Jahre später an die Familie Pereire verkauft, die auch das heutige Gebäude errichten ließ.
1938 erwarben dann vier Handelshäuser aus dem Bordelais gemeinsam den Besitz, zwei von ihnen sind bis heute für seine Geschicke verantwortlich: Mähler-Besse und Sichel.
- Notizen des Weinguts: „The terroir. Behind every great wine is a great terroir. Château Palmer’s has a natural logic: a long strip of land set between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary. Behind the alluvial land of the palus sits the Brauzes plateau, the first gravelly terrace. This is well-drained land, rich with the deposits of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, but washed clean of organic matter.
Difficult soil for agriculture, but exceptional for grape growing. Yet the vines still need help to fulfil their potential. So the men and women of Château Palmer carefully prune leaf and shoot to create a natural balance, channeling the plant's vitality towards something greater – producing the finest possible grapes. What more natural expression for an age-old vine, its roots reaching deep into difficult soils, guided by a sensitive hand? Such is a demanding terroir.“
Die biodynamisch bewirtschafteten Weinberge erstrecken sich über 52 Hektar und sind mit 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot und 6% Petit Verdot bestockt. Das Durchschnittsalter beträgt 35 Jahre, die Pflanzdichte 10.000 Reben pro Hektar.
- Notizen des Weinguts: „Biodynamics. Neither a preconceived idea, nor a posture. At first, biodynamics was simply an experiment, sparked by curiosity. The first trials in 2008 proved inconclusive, so meetings were organized with adherents of the method. Slowly, it became evident what truly lies at the heart of biodynamics: a return to the essence of farming. And thus an idea became a conviction – to turn the page on a monoculture, and to recreate a living agricultural organism, in all its diversity.
Now, sheep graze, grass grows, flowers and plants with healing properties bloom, and agrochemicals have disappeared. With biodynamics, complexity becomes a source of shared enrichment, where the fruits of human labour benefit people, plants, and all that surrounds. An exquisite equilibrium.“
28-30 Tage Fermentation und Mazeration in temperaturkontrollierten Edelstahltanks, Reifung für 20-21 Monate in Eichenfässern, wovon 45% neu sind.
- Notizen des Weinguts: „Fifty-four conical vats stand in alignment. Here, parcel by parcel, variety by variety, the freshly harvested grapes, their skin, seeds and juice intact, will arrive after sorting and pressing to begin their fermentation. It’s a pursuit of precision, enabling the expression of every nuance of each terroir.“
- Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE: "There’s no question that Thomas Duroux and the staff at Palmer are producing wines of first-growth quality, and have been for nearly a decade."
- VINUM Best of Bordeaux, Rolf Bichsel: "Peter Sichel und Frank Mähler-Besse verdanke ich, mehr alte Palmer verkostet und eingekellert zu haben als andere Größen (…) ab 2008 gelingt es Weinmacher Thomas Duroux, der 2004 von Ornellaia nach Palmer wechselt, die besondere Art der alten Palmer mit neuem Glanz und zeitgemäßer Präzision auszudrücken."
Weingut: Chateau Palmer
Menschen/Inhaber: Familien Mähler-Besse und Sichel
Region/Ort: Margaux
Bewirtschaftung: Biodynamisch
Betriebsgröße: 52 Hektar