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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Vintage after vintage, the wines of Château Palmer express our vision of an exceptional wine. We believe that it is born of the mysterious trilogy – terroir, history, memory – and all of our efforts are concentrated on bringing it into the world. Distinction, high standards and commitment are the values that guide every choice we make from the vineyard to the table where the wine is served.
Knowing
Knowing your terroir, your grapes, and your wines – this is a threefold enterprise of patient observation. What seems to be a given is in fact a matter of exacting standards at every moment. To know the terroir you have to become intimately familiar with it. We strive to know the grape variety, subsoil, and exposure of each and every plot but also of each and every row within the plot, as we regard every vine as a unique individual. To know our grapes well, we closely monitor their development until maturity. To know our wines, we taste the batches, the vats, the barrels, and the bottles again and again.
Understanding
Progress in œnology has provided us with insight into the development of wines. Progress in agronomy has given us a better understanding of the life of our vineyards. This makes for more precision in our interventions as much in the winery as in the vineyards. Applying the best technical innovations in a spirit of reconciliation between science and craftsmanship, we use all relevant means to reveal the unique character of the Palmer terroir with each new vintage.
Creating
With the grapes that nature offers us, our job is to create the best possible wine. Is this craftsmanship or artistry? No doubt both. Like skilled craftspeople that love their trade, we select and blend the batches with meticulous care. And like artists, we let ourselves be swept away by the work that is born, as it imposes itself upon our will, surprises, amazes and transcends us.
Kindling desire
Ultimately our goal is to make Château Palmer wines as desirable as can be. To achieve this, everything we do, whether we work in the vineyard, the winery, or in the offices, is informed by high standards and a sense of detail Nothing is left to chance, not the choice of paper for a label, or that of an etching for the wood crates, or of a theme for a reception.
Wine Information
Characteristics of the vintage
The efficiency of the "lutte raisonnée" or measured approach to treating the vines against disease (in place at Palmer since 1995) proved very effective in the warm, humid weather which prevailed throughout the spring and July. With the arrival of summer, the veraison took place in good conditions and during the maturation period which followed at Palmer, the natural concentration of the berries followed exactly the normal physiological changes. The phenomenon is rare and resulted in exceptionally high sugar levels. Indeed, the levels of sugar in the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes broke all records. The '99 wines are very approachable but have power, generosity and great potential.
Harvest dates: from 09/17/1999 to 10/01/1999
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon: 48%
Merlot: 46%
Petit Verdot: 6%
Tasting
Tasting notes from Enrico Bernardo, 12/01/2011:
Incredibly concentrated ruby-red colour with deep purple highlights.
Very attractive nose with raspberry, pepper, paprika, and cherry nuances.
Fantastic flavour: elegant, well-balanced, creamy, and fresh. Refined tannin.
Tasting notes from Georges Lepré, 02/04/2012:
Garnet-red of lovely intensity.
Very open nose on notes of bilberry, mulberry, sweet spices, smoke, leather, moss and forest floor.
The palate is immediately entranced by the richness of the fruits, the mellow tannins and the delicious constant freshness. Solid exotic, spicy notes emerge in the long sustained finish.
This is a silky vintage with a lot of character and great ageing potential.
Vuosikerta 1999
Bordeaux 1999/ The last year of the millennium was strange. The entire Bordeaux region had very good water reserves after a wet winter. Then, budburst in May under warm temperatures indicated a huge harvest. The weather became even warmer towards summer with some humidity. After early flowering at the end of May, storms made it difficult to pick berries. Then the heat wave followed with humidity and mildew problems in August. The weather changed to ideally dry and sunny well before harvest. Unfortunately, the harvest was largely spoiled by violent autumn storms with hail destroying the harvest of many vineyards on the Right Bank. The quality of the grapes in all regions remains at the same level despite the storms.
This vintage offered more than a hundred wines which are very pleasant at the moment. On the other hand, the fluctuation in quality between the wines was surprising.
