Château Palmer 1988 - Margaux

Château Palmer 1988 - Margaux - 3rd classified growth from 1855

Presentation of the domain:

Château Palmer is located in the Margaux appellation in Médoc. Classified "only" a third growth in 1855, it has been regularly considered one of the best wines of the region for decades.

Unusually in the Médoc, Palmer's wines often contain as much Merlot as Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend (with a small amount of Petit Verdot), which helps give the wine a fleshy and generous structure. It can be drunk young, but will also reward long aging.

Vineyards and winemaking

The Palmer vineyard extends over 55 hectares in the former commune of Cantenac. Its terroir is mainly composed of fine gravel. The vines are planted densely, as is usual in this region, to ensure competition between the vines, reduce vigor and encourage a deeper root system.

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats and different plots are vinified separately to give winegrowers greater control over blending. The great wine is aged for around 21 months in barrels, with up to 60% new barrels.

The 1988 vintage at Palmer: Wisdom comes with age.

Palmer 1988 is part of a group of medoc with (Lynch-Bages, Montrose, Cos etc) who must have been almost undrinkable in their youth. Very concentrated, with very present and rustic tannins, these wines really needed to age to become accessible. 30 years later they are starting to open up but will still require a few hours of decanting to be perfectly pleasant. There you can enjoy great Bordeaux wines with a very classic style that seem immortal.

Exceptional provenance: These bottles come from a cellar of a great Swiss enthusiast and collector. We have acquired the complete collection containing more than 200 bottles of mainly French and Italian wines. The bottles were all preserved following their purchase en primeur or shortly after their marketing on site, in a natural cellar buried under a 16th century convent. A damp cellar, which is why some labels are very worn. The levels are generally excellent or perfect and the most "fragile" bottles demonstrate storage in total darkness for more than 30 years!