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: L19070C | 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.
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 terriors are blended with Chardonnay from Côte de Sézanne. Although not stated on the label, each Palmer Blanc de Blancs NV released is entirely a vintage with no reserve wines. The current release is vintage 2014.
Weather: 2014 was characterised by mild temperatures and frequent rainfall and a few weeks of high temperatures, a very solid vintage with good ripeness and acidity. Flowering began in June and summer was a combination of dry, wet and cold spells. Some regions saw some disease and Meunier in the Marne Valley didn’t have a great year and some of the Pinot Noir with its thinner skin made it more difficult for the red grapes. Harvest took place from 8th to 20th September. A year where it was necessary to select the red grapes carefully to maintain high quality. In general Chardonnay is the star of the vintage.
Technical Information:
Vineyards: 90% Premier Crus: Trepail & Villers-Marmery, Montagne de Reims | 10% Autre Cru: Côte de Sézanne
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Base Vintage: 2014
Lees Ageing: 4.5 years
Disgorged: 14th of December 2018
Bottling date: 18th of June 2015
Dosage: 6.9 g/l
Drink: Now for 5+ years
Tasting Note: Subtle notes of white flowers and citrus, combine with almonds to create an abundance of flavours on the palate. The silky and refreshing palate has a fresh acidity and great finesse on the finish.
Watch Nick's video tasting review of this champagne
here.
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).
Chef de Cave History at Champagne Deutz:
Xavier Berdin 2003 to present: The Cellar Master and his 4 oenologists are guardians of the Palmer & Co style, passionately watching over the wines of yesterday, today and tomorrow with unrelenting vigilance.
Michel Davesne 1985 to 2003: After a high school diploma in sciences, preparatory classes at the Lycée Clémenceau in Reims, and then the University of Compiègne, he became an engineer in biotechnology. Then followed posts at first Goyard, then at the CIVC*. In 1985, Champagne Palmer took him on as chief winemaker. He learned much at the co-operative, much of the practical part on the job. He passed his Diploma in Oenology, and spent in all some 18 years there before moving to Champagne Deutz in 2003. All the magnificent Collection champagnes being released from 2018 to present from the 80's and 90's show what a genius winemaker Michel was.
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region:
Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): 700,000