Chateau Palmer Dinner

Champagne Philipponnat Royale Reserve Brut
The Royale Reserve is the emblematic blend of the House of Philipponnat, combining freshness and vinosity.

Drawing on the historic tradition of Philipponnat in the region of Ay and Mareuil-sur-Ay, Royale Reserve takes advantage of the rich and powerful Pinot Noir grapes from the southern side of the Montagnac de Reims, which always makes up the majority of the blend.

With three years’ ageing, Royale Reserve is quite sufficiently mature, yet remains crisp and therefore is a perfect aperitif. Its vinosity also makes excellent matches with white meat, cold cuts and fish.

In the heart of the Champagne region, at Mareuil-sur-Ay, the Philipponnat House crafts fine wines. Each of these great Champagnes is an individual expression in which Pinot Noir grapes predominate, except, of course, in the Blanc de Blanc.

Fruity and racy in their youth, the wines display finesse and strength in the vintage Cuvees.

The wines are, by excellence, Champagnes for connoisseurs, served at the finest tables not only as an aperitif but also to accompany the most refined food. Each bottle bears its disgorgement date on its back label.

Chateau Palmer (3rd growth in the 1855 classification) is one of the finest estate in Margaux and still belongs to descendants of the original owners. Sixty years of uninterrupted progress have given Palmer a wonderful reputation. Robert Parker in his book states that “Palmer unquestionably produces one of the most compelling wines of Margaux. When Palmer has a great vintage, no other left bank growth is as aromatically seductive to the nose and palate, Palmer can be as profound as any of the first growth.”

Palmer’s finesse and elegance are legendary and its aromatic complexity is every bit as remarkable. The subtle balance between powerful but understated tanning and aromatic richness makes Palmer an incomparably charming wine, even when young.

We are pleased to be able to assemble together some new and old vintages of Palmer, including one vintage of Alter Ego (second wine of Palmer) from the House of Mahler-Besse (which is one of the owners of Chateau Palmer) from this function. I hope we will share a wonderful experience of comparing the 20 years difference of the vintages, 1988 and 1978, 1985 and 1975 as well as the 2002 Palmer and 2000 Alter Ego de Palmer.

2000 Alter Ego (89 Points, Robert Parker)
“Alter Ego de Palmer rated 4 stars – the same as great growths such as Chateau Giscours, Rauzan-Gassies and Rauzan-Segla…This was also the same rating given to Pavillon Rouge de Chateau Margaux…” Decanter

2002 Chateau Palmer (94 Points, Robert Parker)
A successful wine for the vintage, boasts of complex notes of menthol, black currants, plums, licorice and a hint of cappuccino in tis stunning aromatics. There are only 8, 500 cases of this brilliant effort that is the same qualitative leagues as the 2000.

Chateau Palmer 1998 (87 Points, Robert Parker)

Chateau Palmer 1985 (89 Points, Robert Parker)
“This wine has consistently been attractive, elegant and fruity with a deep ruby colour that is now revealing some amber and orange at the ledge, a well-made richly fruity, fragrant wine that is ideal for present consumption…”

Chateau Palmer 1978 (90 Points, Robert Parker)
“One of the few stars of this vintage; the 1978 Palmer offers a dark garnet colour with some amber at the edge. Full bodied, lush and concentrated, this soft, fleshy, corpulent style of Palmer is delicious now and promises to keep for another 10-12 years.”

Chateau Palmer 1975 (90 Points, Robert Parker)
“This much heralded vintage is now beginning to reward the patience of those who have waited so long. The colour is still deep and the wine is perfumed with a magnificent bouquet of fresh plums and cherries with hints of pepper and liquories. The palate is rich, full bodied and the powerful tannins have now rounded down to contribute to the wine’s great balance and charm.”