Palmer & Co is a Champagne House (Maison) based in the city of Reims, France.
Created by the association of 7 local winegrowers just after WWII, it has been established in the city of Reims since 1959.
The winery sources grapes from 350 growers and over 400 hectares of vines (about 1000 acres) scattered around the Champagne region.
The historic and main supply area remains the Pinot Noir-oriented Montagne de Reims.
With more than half the vineyard supply area (200ha) classified as Grand Cru or Premier Cru, Palmer & Co is able to deliver wines of consistently good quality.
Proof of this sucess, Palmer & Co has know a constant expansion, in particular over the poast thirty years. To enable the growth, the company aquired in 1997 a huge Cellar/Winery of a nearby champagne House setting Palmer in Reims on two major sites close to each other.
Read along to learn more about the full story and the wines of Champagne Palmer & Co.
Wine Reviews and Tasting Notes of Champagne Palmer & Co Cuvées
The information below was provided by Champagne Palmer & Co exclusively for Social Vignerons.
Brief history and Location
Everything began in 1947 when the Société des Grands Crus de la Champagne settled in Avize.
It started as an association of seven well established winegrowers, all owners of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards in the areas of the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims, and all striving for ultimate perfection.
The unique style of their wines was rapidly recognised and the Palmer & Co brand, created in 1948, immediately incarnated this spirit of excellence.
In 1959, the founders, inspired and prescient, bought the cellars of a Champagne House in Reims. Little by little, they acquired other facilities as the opportunities arose, thus laying the foundation stones for their illustrious House’s future development.
From 1970, Palmer & Co took an important step by exploring other great terroirs in the Champagne area.
In the mid-eighties, thanks to an ambitious investment policy, our House pioneered a range of innovative and high-performing production tools.
From the 1990s, with the acquisition of a vast network of cellars and fermenting rooms from a neighbouring Champagne House, Palmer & Co set its sights on the heart of Reims, on two major sites. The future of our Champagne House was assured.
Vineyards and grape varieties
Palmer & Co is solidly established on 415 hectares of vineyards, comprising about forty crus, with over 200 hectares classified as Grand and Premier Crus in the Montagne de Reims area. Grapes from the Côte de Sézanne, Côte des Bars and Vallée de la Marne complete our blends, all contributing their specific characteristics
Our grape varieties are 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier.
Winemaking and specificities
Time is an accomplice in refinement of style
The Palmer & Co quality is based above all on an absolute respect for the integrity of the grapes and the wines at all stages of the winemaking process. But it is also based on Time, so closely connected to the inimitable Palmer & Co style. Our wines remain in contact with the yeast deposits for years, and for at least three years for Palmer Brut Réserve. The yeast sediment, or lees, slowly but surely adds richness to the wine and gives it a refined aromatic complexity. This voluptuous maturity is amplified with six to eight years of cellaring for our vintage cuvees and up to ten years or more for our magnums and larger format bottles.
A delicate blending of balance and elegance
At Palmer & Co we have a true passion for blending the different crus and grape varieties, their individual characteristics and sensory nuances that vary according to the terroirs. The creation of our cuvées is a combination of Nature and the talent of Man, a work painstaking intricacy performed by master craftsmen guided by an acute gustatory memory, the creative inspiration of our cellar master and the sensitivity of our oenologists.
The reserve wines also play an essential role. Selected according to their structure and ageing potential, they form the backbone of our Brut Réserve, giving richness and depth, and ensuring the consistency of the Palmer style.
The exception of the «big bottles»
Palmer & Co is one of the very rare Champagne Houses that still produces sparkling wine in the monumental 15-litre Nebuchadnezzar. For us, only exceptional vintages or specific blends are worthy of these huge bottles where the alchemy of time enhances the complex reactions of slow maturing until an incomparable masterpiece is achieved.
People
At Palmer & Co, the human element has been at the very heart of our spirit since the House was created.
In fact, we believe that the magic of the winemaking process cannot flourish without the human skills that are passed down from generation to generation. Although our new recruits are thoroughly trained in the art of champagne making, they are still very fortunate to benefit from the essential and unique experience that the older generation passes on to them, and without which Palmer champagne would not be Palmer champagne.
Whether referring to the vineyard workers, the creators of our cuvees or our staff dedicated to ensuring that the company operates smoothly and grows steadily, our «Palmerians» in spirit share the same DNA and can all take pride in the solid reputation of the Palmer & Co brand.
Managing Director : Rémi Vervier
Chef de Caves : Xavier Berdin
Wines
A set of inspired collections
In a perpetual search for perfection, Palmer & Co proposes bottles with chic and elegant designs. The Palmer & Co collections are sources of emotion and offer all champagne lovers, and lovers of life itself, an exceptional and quite unforgettable champagne experience.
The Reserve Collection
Extra Réserve
Nectar Réserve
The Speciality Collection
Vintage Champagne (Millésimé)
The «Millésimes» collection
A very distinctive particularity of Palmer & Co is that rare vintages such as 1989, 1987, 1985, 1979 or 1976 are stored upside down, or «sur pointe», in our cellars for twenty years or more. The very long ageing process gives an intense and complex charachter to these great wines while at the same time ensuring that they remain remarkably fresh to the palate.
Annual production: 700 000 bottles
Learn more about Champagne Palmer & Co and their wines on the website Champagne-Palmer.fr
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