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 ID: L22079C | Each bottle of Palmer & Co can be identified by the ID on the back label. This enables you to discover the story of that very bottle. You can do so using the smartphone App or on the Palmer & Co website.

More recently Palmer has turned to its packaging resulting in a 27% reduction in the weight of its packaging. Their boxes for example are eco-designed and recyclable and have a unique decorative finish made possible through a Swedish French collaberation using FibreForm paper made from 100 % FSC-certified virgin fibres from responsibly-managed forests.

Grands Terroirs is a combination of the prestigious Premiers and Grands Crus vineyards of the Montagne de Reims and the remarkable savoir-faire of Palmer & Co, in a year of extraordinary weather conditions. The Montagne de Reims is a vast plateau covered in forest between the cities of Reims and Epernay. Vineyards have been planted in the chalky soils of the mountain's slopes. This region has the most villages classified as 'Grands Crus'. Most of the Palmer & Co vineyards are located on the north-facing slopes (the Grands Crus of Mailly and Verzenay) and the north-eastern slopes (Premier Crus of Trépail and Villers-Marmery) of the Montagne de Reims, where the environment is rigorous and climates are extreme. The grapes harvested from these 'Grands Terroirs' are known for their power, structure and nobility.

Weather: A wet winter and mild spring gave way to an exceptionally dry summer from mid-May onwards. Hot weather prevailed until mid-August, when the skies opened again. Rains gave way to fine, cool, yet sunny weather for the first two weeks of harvest, which commenced on August 29th. The 2015 vintage has a lot of common denominators with the 2003 vintage but the 2015s are showing a better balance of weight and freshness with their average potential alcohol level of 10.5% and total acidity of 6.9 g/l. The quality and ageing capacity of the vintage has been questioned because of the low acidity, but to me the structure of the wine is not the problem. An average vintage and we need to see more releases before we will know for sure how good the big names will be in 2015.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: Premier Cru: Trepail & Villers-Marmery, Rilly la Montagne, Ludes, Chigny Les Roses, Montagne de Reims | Grand Cru: Mailly and Verzenay
Grape Varieties: 50% Chardonnay, 38% Pinot Noir & 12% Meunier
Lees Ageing: 5.5 years
Bottling Date: 16th June 2016
Disgorged: 26th October 2021
Dosage: 6.9 g/l
Drink: Now to 2030

Tasting Note: The nose, subtle and charming, opens with notes of orange blossom and acacia, mixed with notes of yellow fruits, then it evolves towards lovely and delicately spiced aromas of fried pineapple and tonka bean. The palate is characterized by freshness, with citrus fruits sublimating the notes of brioche and dried fruits. Its creamy texture stretches deliciously into a persistent finish.