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| CHATEAU PALMER |
Chateau Palmer is a Third Growth 'claret'.
This ranking originated in the 1855 Bordeaux classification which is and was a concise ranking of all serious Bordeaux wine producers back in the middle of the nineteenth century. It is complicated and has engendered many fiery debates over the last 184 years but still is a kind of 'rule of thumb' for serious wine buyers and drinkers. If you want you can buy the book and have a read of it and the history of the classification. This is best done while having a bottle of claret open.
The history is worth reading and I recommend it as I would reading The Disappearing Spoon - Sam Kean's history of the Periodic Table which is described thus:
"The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements"
This is a cracking good read and should be in everyone's library.
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Back to the 1855 Classification.
The Official 1855 Classification
First-Growths / Premières Crus
Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac
Château Latour Pauillac
Château Margaux Margaux
Château Haut-Brion Pessac, Graves (since 1986, Pessac-Léognan)
Second-Growths / Deuxièmes Crus
Château Mouton-Rothschild (elevated to first-growth in 1973) Pauillac
Château Rausan-Ségla Margaux
Château Rauzan-Gassies Margaux
Château Léoville Las Cases St.-Julien
Château Léoville Poyferré St.-Julien
Château Léoville Barton St.-Julien
Château Durfort-Vivens Margaux
Château Gruaud-Larose St.-Julien
Château Lascombes Margaux
Château Brane-Cantenac Cantenac-Margaux (now Margaux)
Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Pauillac
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Pauillac
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou St.-Julien
Château Cos-d'Estournel St.-Estèphe
Château Montrose St.-Estèphe
Third-Growths / Troisièmes Crus
Château Kirwan Cantenac-Margaux (now Margaux)
Château d'Issan Cantenac-Margaux (now Margaux)
Château Lagrange St.-Julien
Château Langoa Barton St.-Julien
Château Giscours Labarde-Margaux (now Margaux)
Château Malescot-St.-Exupéry Margaux
Château Cantenac-Brown Cantenac-Margaux (now Margaux)
Château Boyd-Cantenac Margaux
Château Palmer Cantenac-Margaux (now Margaux)
Château La Lagune Ludon (now Haut-Médoc)
Château Desmirail Margaux
Château Calon-Ségur St.-Estèphe
Château Ferrière Margaux
Château Marquis-d'Alesme-Becker Margaux
Fourth-Growths / Quatrièmes Crus
Château St.-Pierre St.-Julien
Château Talbot St.-Julien
Château Branaire-Ducru St.-Julien
Château Duhart-Milon Rothschild Pauillac
Château Pouget Cantenac-Margaux (now Margaux)
Château La Tour Carnet St.-Laurent (now Haut-Médoc)
Château Lafon-Rochet St.-Estèphe
Château Beychevelle St.-Julien
Château Prieuré-Lichine Cantenac-Margaux ( now Margaux)
Château Marquis de Terme Margaux
Fifth-Growths / Cinquièmes Crus
Château Pontet-Canet Pauillac
Château Batailley Pauillac
Château Haut-Batailley Pauillac
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac
Château Grand-Puy-Ducasse Pauillac
Château Lynch Bages Pauillac
Château Lynch-Moussas Pauillac
Château Dauzac Labarde (now Margaux)
Château Mouton-Baronne-Philippe (Château d'Armailhac after 1989) Pauillac
Château du Tertre Arsac (now Margaux)
Château Haut-Bages Libéral Pauillac
Château Pédesclaux Pauillac
Château Belgrave St.-Laurent (now Haut-Médoc)
Château Camensac St.-Laurent (now Haut-Médoc)
Château Cos Labory St.-Estèphe
Château Clerc Milon Pauillac
Château Croizet-Bages Pauillac
Château Cantemerle Macau (now Haut-Médoc)
1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac
Great First-Growth / Grand Premier Cru
Château d'Yquem Sauternes
First-Growths / Premières Crus
Château La Tour Blanche Bommes (now Sauternes)
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Bommes (now Sauternes)
Clos Haut-Peyraguey Bommes (Sauternes)
Château de Rayne Vigneau Bommes (now Sauternes)
Château Suduiraut Preignac (now Sauternes)
Château Coutet Barsac
Château Climens Barsac
Château Guiraud Sauternes
Château Rieussec Fargues (now Sauternes)
Château Rabaud-Promis Bommes (now Sauternes)
Château Sigalas Rabaud Bommes (now Sauternes)
Second-Growths / Deuxièmes Crus
Château Myrat Barsac
Château Doisy Daëne Barsac
Château Doisy-Dubroca Barsac
Château Doisy-Védrines Barsac
Château d'Arche Sauternes
Château Filhot Sauternes
Château Broustet Barsac
Château Nairac Barsac
Château Caillou Barsac
Château Suau Barsac
Château de Malle Preignac (now Sauternes)
Château Romer Fargues (now Sauternes)
Château Lamothe Sauternes
It's interesting how many Sauternes and Barsacs were included and shows how sweet wines were so popular back in the 19th century.
Looking at this list again after many years reminds me of the great wines I've been lucky enough to drink and some of the chateaux that I've visited. I reminisced on this so bear with me here or scroll down a few paragraphs to the main part of the post.
In the First Growth list of reds I've drunk all of those from numerous vintages and have visited Lafite, Margaux, Haut Brion and Mouton-Rothschild,
In the Second Growth list I've drunk all from various vintages and have visited Rausan-Ségla, Pichon-Longueville Baron, Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande and Cos d'Estournel.
In the Third Growth list I've drunk all of various vintages except Desmirail and Marquis d'Alesme-Becker which I've never seen. I've visited Kirwan, Lagrange, Giscours, La Lagune and Palmer.
The Fourth Growths are less familiar to me but I've drunk all of them. I've only visited Prieuré-Lichine and Beychevelle.
Of the Fifth Growths I've drunk most but am unfamiliar with Lynch-Moussas, Dauzac, and Pédesclaux. I've only visited Lynch Bages and Clerc Milon.
The sweet wines are a bit of a mystery to me. I've enjoyed a few vintages of Château d'Yquem, Haut-Peyraguey, Suduiraut, Filhot, Coutet, Climens and Rieussec and the odd bottle of Lamothe, Nairac and Caillou but some of the others I've never seen. I've never visited any of the chateaux in Sauternes or Barsac.
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Anyway - back to Chateau Palmer.
The1855 Classification ranked Palmer as a third growth.
In recent times Palmer is seen by all wine aficionados as a greater wine than this ranking and is known as a 'super second'. Even this unofficial ranking isn't high enough with many believing that if the 1855 classification were to be redone then Palmer would be a first growth.
The Classification was the making of many chateaux and the unmaking of others. After release of it the pricing (bulk at that stage) was determined by the ranking and those ranked highly secured the highest prices. This is still seen today with first growth bottles being valued at two, three or four times higher than second and third growth bottles and fourth and fifth growth valued lower. Still expensive but cheaper. The high prices commanded by bulk (barrels) and bottle has enabled those chateaux higher on the ranking scale to invest more in land, vines, production facilities and winemaking and have been able to continually improve. Many of the lower classed wines have suffered comparatively and now will never reach the giddy heights of the first growths and the 'super seconds'
Wine Legend: Château Palmer 1961
Stephen Brook of Decanter in 2017 had this to say about 1961 Palmer:
Palmer consistently commands prices higher than all of the other third growth wines and most of the second growths. It has a reputation of greater quality consistency than many if not all of its peers and, in great years has outdone first growths in ranking. One of those great years was 1961 which is legendary having been a perfect growing season combined with lower yields and resultant more intense and concentrated wines that have lasted to this day.
Wine Legend: Château Palmer 1961
Stephen Brook of Decanter in 2017 had this to say about 1961 Palmer:
WINE LEGEND - CHATEAU PALMER 1961
Brook says:
Brook says:
"A legend because…I can attest to that . I've tried 1961 Palmer in formal wine tasting situations and at the chateau with the owners. Both times it was magnificent.
Although it was not immediately apparent, this vintage would propel Palmer into the top ranks of the Médoc. Within two decades the price of this third growth rivalled, and in some cases exceeded, that of the first growths. To this day it is not entirely clear why Palmer should have performed so magnificently in this vintage. But it was no fluke: the 1962 was also a great wine. The fame of the Palmer may have been amplified by the fact that the other major player in the village, Château Margaux, was underperforming in the 1960s."
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In the early 1990s my partner (Her Indoors) and I were guests of Peter and Diana Sichel, co-owners of Chateau Palmer at the time. We were being entertained at their home Chateau Angludet and were
preparing to go and dine at the nearby Chateau Palmer. 
Chateau Palmer is (or certainly was at that time) unoccupied but the dining room had been prepared and staff on hand to cater to dinner. There were six of us - the Sichels, Her Indoors and me and the CEO of a UK brewery and his wife. We had an elegant dinner with a Bordeaux white wine and two vintages of Palmer.
Peter brought out two bottles of 1961, carefully decanted them and unceremoniously served them with the main (lamb). This is the way I like to drink Bordeaux or indeed and good red wine - with a good meal. The wine was sumptuous, the food great and the company stimulating and interesting.
We relished the wine and, with my third glassful I held some back to savour it. Discussion of course was on the wine and the vintage and Peter enthused about recent vintages and went to get a couple of bottles of 1989 Palmer. He quickly uncorked and decanted and poured us all a glass. That wine was excellent. Young (at that time the current release), very highly rated as most of the 1989s were and continuing the recent tradition of Palmer quality. Peter went around the table topping up glasses and I had left my half glass of 1961 on the table and had the 1989 in my hand out of sight. The 1961 was topped up with the 1989. I didn't comment but saw that Diana Sichel had noticed. She caught my eye and raised an eyebrow, I smiled and shrugged and swirled and sipped the new blend. I didn't make a fuss to spoil a great moment. The resultant combination was an explosion of flavour in my mouth. The silky 1961 which was outstanding in its own right was boosted by the powerful and rich 1989. I'm a proponent of blending wines at table and particularly in refreshing older wines with younger vintages.
This was a great dining experience and one fondly remembered.
2 comments:
That cut into my chardonnay drinking time.
OK, that's good. It slowed you down and stopped you putting lemonade into it.
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