In 1947, seven well-established and visionary winegrowers came together in a joint quest for ultimate perfection and founded Champagne Palmer & Co. The founders bought its current cellars from a failing Champagne House in Reims in 1959. Over the years, the cooperative has spread past Reims and now owns an impressive 450 hectares of vineyards, over 200 of which are classified Grand and Premier Crus. A large percentage of Palmer's vineyards are in the Montagne de Reims giving Palmer a unique source of chardonnay in these cooler aspect locations, Blanc de Blancs being one of the stars in the Palmer portfolio. Palmer are one of few producers to ferment large formats, everything bigger than Jeroboam, in the final bottle and up to Nebuchadnezzar, 15 litres, are made in this way.

Palmer & Co Collection champagnes are a prestigious collection of vintage champagnes, stored perfectly in their 18-meter-deep chalk cellars. Palmer Blanc de Blancs is created from Chardonnay grapes sources mainly from the magnificent terroirs of Villers-Marmery and Trépail. The fruits from these two terroirs are blended with Chardonnay from Côte de Sézanne. The cuvées have been selected by cellar master Xavier Berdin and Palmer's four oenologists for their superior quality and ageing potential and have been ageing on their lees until being recently disgorged. The Collection Range include some of the best vintages of the last 40 years: 1998, 1996, 1988, 1981, 1979 & 1976.

The bottles, magnums, and larger formats, are stored upside down in our cellars for twenty years or more. The very long ageing process gives an intense and complex character to these great wines while at the same time ensuring that they remain remarkably fresh to the palate.

Palmer ID: L22515 | Each bottle of Palmer & Co can be identified by the ID on the back label, using the Palmer App or on the Palmer & Co website.

Weather in 1985: This year is etched into vine growers’ memories as an exceptional ideal harvest in terms of quality, despite record freezing temperatures over winter (-30°C for several days), which irretrievably devastated part of the Champagne region’s vines. Fortunately, beautiful weather from 1 July allowed the grapes to ripen to their full potential. The Chardonnays in particular ripened beautifully, becoming refined and elegant. One can imagine the patience required at the time to allow the wines to reach their full potential.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 85% Premier Cru: Montagne de Reims, Trepail & Villers-Marmery | 15% Autre Cru: Côte de Sézanne
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Lees ageing: 34 years
Dosage: 5.2 g/l
Disgorged: 7th of January 2020
Bottling date: 10th of July 1986
Drink: Now to 2030

Tasting Note: Bright golden yellow color, green-gold highlights. The superb 1985 vintage maturity is reflected in an intense and powerful bouquet amplifying when swirling out gently into your glass developing buttery and nutty notes, roasted flavors as well as candied fruit and gingerbread aromas. The mouth is elegant and vinous, in total harmony around liquorice and spicy flavors, enhanced by a silky and smooth texture which nevertheless keeps a remarkable freshness to this Champagne of exception. A vintage of an amazing Plénitude reaching the threshold of the sublime enhanced by a wonderful balance.

In 1947, seven well-established and visionary winegrowers came together in a joint quest for ultimate perfection and founded Champagne Palmer & Co. After a first decade of impressive growth, the founders bought the cellars of a Champagne House in Reims in 1959. Over the years, the cooperative has spread past Reims and now owns an impressive 450 hectares of vineyards, over 200 of which are classified Grand and Premier Crus.

Champagne Palmer & Co take full advantage of allowing their wines to mature for an exceptionally long time and their reserve wines are carefully blended to create a rich and toasty style. Uniquely, Palmer are one of the only producers to ferment all champagnes in the bottles they are sold in - from tiny half bottles to huge 15L Nebuchadnezzar's. In 2015, their range underwent a name change, to now include the term Réserve, which better represents their long ageing periods and inclusion of reserve wines.

In 2019 Champagner Palmer opened its new modern winery symbolising Palmer’s respect for sustainable development, being just the second in Champagne, alongside Moët & Chandon’s facility in the Côte des Bar, to be certified HQE (High Environmental Quality).

Cellar Master: Xavier Berdin
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): 700,000