Château Palmer

Before it bore Palmer's name, the property was the Gascq estate, renowned for the quality of its wines since the early 18th century. In 1814 Charles Palmer, a British army officer and future Major General, bought it from Madame Marie Brunet de Ferrière, widow of the Baron de Gascq, without having visited it. From 1814 to 1831 Palmer bought up surrounding land and vineyards until the estate stretched 163 hectares from Cantenac to Issan to Margaux. The investments proved too costly, and in 1843 he was obliged to sell the property to his creditors, the Caisse hypothécaire. In 1853 the brothers Émile and Isaac Pereire bought the estate from the Caisse Hypothécaire and commissioned architect Charles Burguet to design its château, completed the year after the 1855 Classification. The Pereires and their descendants kept the estate for more than 80 years before deciding to sell in June 1937. The following year the Ginestet, Miailhe, Mähler-Besse and Sichel merchant families joined forces to take over the estate; the descendants of the Mähler-Besse and Sichel families still own it today.

• 1814: Charles Palmer acquires the Gascq estate and names it Château Palmer
• 1843: the estate passes to Palmer's creditors, the Caisse hypothécaire
• 1853: Émile and Isaac Pereire buy the estate
• 1938: four Bordeaux merchant families take over; the Mähler-Besse and Sichel descendants remain the owners
• 2004: the owners entrust management of the estate to Thomas Duroux

Thomas Duroux is director of Château Palmer; the owning families entrusted him with its management in 2004. Sabrina Pernet is technical director; Duroux hired her to work with him on improving the quality of the estate's wine. Jean-Denis Le Bras, executive chef for Pierre Gagnaire for nearly 20 years, is the estate's executive chef.

• Thomas Duroux: director, managing the estate since 2004
• Sabrina Pernet: technical director
• Jean-Denis Le Bras: executive chef
• Owners: descendants of the Mähler-Besse and Sichel families

Palmer's vines grow on gravel terraces deposited by the Garonne, including the Plateau des Brauzes, the first terraced deposit of gravelly soil swept along by the river throughout two ice ages. The soils hold stones such as lydian, quartzite and chalcedony inherited from the Quaternary Period. The estate plants two equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot rounded off with Petit Verdot, and the core of the vineyard is old Merlot planted in the 1930s. Palmer farms 66 hectares under certified biodynamic management. The estate is divided into five islands, each with its own team: Boston-Boulibranne, the 40s-50s, Le Cassena, Le Plateau and Domec. Le Cassena grows four varieties of white grapes alongside the reds, and Domec totals thirteen hectares. Biodynamics began as a trial on one hectare of the Boulibranne plot in 2009; Thomas Duroux then proposed converting the whole estate in 2014, and the owners approved. The estate keeps cows, 200 sheep that graze in the vineyards, and goats, with the aim of becoming self-sufficient in compost.

• Soils: Garonne gravel terraces holding lydian, quartzite and chalcedony stones
• Plantings: equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot plus Petit Verdot, with a core of Merlot planted in the 1930s
• 66 hectares under certified biodynamic management
• Five vineyard islands: Boston-Boulibranne, the 40s-50s, Le Cassena, Le Plateau, Domec
• Biodynamic trial on one hectare in 2009; whole-estate conversion proposed in 2014

Fermentation takes place plot by plot, or even within plots, in 54 temperature-controlled conical vats ranging from 89 to 195 hectoliters. An experimental vat room with a lab and nine micro-vats developed the estate's own pied de cuve fermentation starter, which halved its use of sulfur during vinification. With the 2014 harvest, for the first time in the estate's modern history, Palmer did not sulphite the harvest. Aging lasts 20 to 22 months in two steps: first in 225-liter barrels, less than half of them new, then in 30-hectoliter vats during the second year. Some bottles then rest in the estate's historic cellar for an initial ten-year aging cycle.

• 54 temperature-controlled conical vats of 89 to 195 hectoliters
• Experimental vat room with nine micro-vats
• 20 to 22 months of aging: 225-liter barrels (less than half new), then 30-hectoliter vats
• 2014: first harvest in the estate's modern history without added sulphite

Château Palmer and Alter Ego are two distinct expressions of the same terroir. Château Palmer is built on an almost identical blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot rounded off with a touch of Petit Verdot; the 2024 blend, for example, was 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot. Alter Ego was launched with the 1998 vintage; its grapes are picked for technological and aromatic maturity, and its blend is often dominated by Merlot. Historical XIXth Century Wine revives the 19th-century Bordeaux practice of adding a little Hermitage wine to certain clarets: each winter the management team selects the 10% of Syrah from the northern Côtes du Rhône that joins the estate's Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tested on batches from 2004, it runs to around five thousand bottles per year.

• Château Palmer: the grand vin, an almost identical blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a touch of Petit Verdot
• Alter Ego: launched with the 1998 vintage, often Merlot-dominated
• Historical XIXth Century Wine: about 10% northern Rhône Syrah, around five thousand bottles per year
• Bottles from the 2009 vintage onward carry a QR code for authentication

The estate describes Château Palmer's style in its own words: "The finesse and elegance of its Margaux roots, the softness and sophistication of its texture, the nobility of leather and the gentle caress of velvet." It adds that the aromas offer a bouquet of flowers, fruit and spices enveloped in a fleshy, generous structure. The estate describes Alter Ego as "Spontaneous, round, generous, and silky," more accessible in its youth than Château Palmer while still benefiting from age. In Thomas Duroux's words: "Making a great wine is about putting a place in a glass." Reviewing the 2019 for Decanter, Jane Anson wrote of "textbook floral Margaux character."

• Estate description: flowers, fruit and spices in a fleshy, generous structure
• Alter Ego: more accessible in youth, still benefits from age

Palmer's troisième cru status, already conferred by merchants and leading figures, was confirmed by the Classification of 1855. Palmer is the only one of the 14 Médoc third growths that does not display the classification on its labels. In Panos Kakaviatos's 2026 horizontal tasting for Decanter of all 14 third growths from the 2020 vintage, Châteaux Palmer and Calon Ségur emerged as clearly the leading wines. In 2018 mildew cost the estate a significant part of its harvest, and every batch that year went into the Château Palmer blend. Jane Anson rated Château Palmer 2019 98 points for Decanter. As of 2020, the estate had sold more or less 50% of Château Palmer en primeur since the 2010 vintage.

• 1855: troisième cru (third growth)
• The only Médoc third growth that does not show its classification on the label
• 2018: mildew cut the harvest; every batch went into Château Palmer
• Jane Anson (Decanter): Château Palmer 2019, 98 points

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/estate, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/range, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/experience, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/chateau-palmer, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/article/thomas-duroux-time-always-tells, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/article/the-graceful-guardian, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/alterego, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/wine-library, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/article/2014-a-veil-is-lifted, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/article/a-few-drops-from-the-rhone, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/article/the-pereire-brothers-saga, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/article/charles-palmers-claret, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/article/sabrina-pernet-a-vineyard-under-influence, https://www.chateau-palmer.com/en/article/the-five-islands-of-palmer. Secondary sources: Decanter (Chris Mercer, June 2, 2020, Château Palmer 2019 release); Decanter (Panos Kakaviatos, June 7, 2026, The Third Growths: Reviewed, reappraised, reclassified). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12