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FOUR SEASONS IN THE CELLAR

Wine receives a great deal of care and attention at Château Palmer for 21 months, from the harvest to bottling. Barrel ageing, which begins immediately after fermentation, is an essential part of winemaking. Produced from meagre, deep, gravelly soil, Château Palmer acquires body and volume in barrel, which also helps to bring out its unique character and style.

AUTUMN

Harvesting usually begins in early Autumn, at which time the vat room is ready for intense activity. The grapes are separated by variety and vineyard plot on arrival in the vat room, where they are carefully sorted on special tables. After destemming, the grapes are gently crushed to break the skins. We make a final analysis of sugar and acidity after crushing. Château Palmer has 50 vats in order to ferment grapes from each vineyard plot separately. We make sure to taste all vats regularly in order to deepen our understanding of the long-term characteristics of each plot. In addition, this is precious for preparing the final blend.

The grapes are fermented for 8-10 days in the vat room. Pumping over several times a day facilitates fermentation and enhances extraction of phenolic compounds. The wine is left on the skins for the next 10 days to achieve perfect extraction.

During this stage, temperatures are rigorously controlled and adapted for each vat, and the wine is regularly tasted to determine the best time for running off. This consists of separating the wine from the skins, which are then pressed. The free run juice and press wines go through malolactic fermentation which stabilises the wine and reduces acidity.

The wine is put into barrels in the first year cellar in perfectly aligned rows. At the end of malolactic fermentation, about a month after the harvest, the wine is racked in barrel, where it will remain for 18-21 months. For the first six months, the barrels have a glass bung on top which is not airtight, enabling gas to escape. The minute contact between air and wine through the oak helps the wine to age and become more stable. Frequent topping up at regular intervals (twice a week) compensates for evaporation and avoids excessive oxidisation. The wine from the previous vintage continues ageing in the second year cellar.

WINTER

We continue doing our best to understand and analyse the new vintage by tasting every lot very frequently to decide what role it will play in the final blend. We ask ourselves questions like, "what flavours can this wine contribute?" and "how can it add to the blend's aftertaste, complexity, elegance, finesse, and delicacy - in short, the overall balance?" It is a fascinating challenge to make the best possible decisions so the final blend perfectly reflects our terroir. Although making this final blend is based on science, it is also an art, calling for a certain creativity. After the second racking in February, we begin blending, full of hope for the new vintage we will present at the futures tastings in early Spring.

We begin fining the previous vintage in the second year cellar in December. This is done the traditional way, using fresh egg whites. Slightly beaten, these are incorporated into the wine in barrel. This operation clarifies the wine and provides greater smoothness. A further racking by candlelight after fining in February separates the wine from its lees and makes it perfectly clear.

SPRING

The new vintage is racked for the third time and the barrels are turned on their sides and fitted with a permanent bung. The wine continues ageing in the first year cellar.

In the second year cellar, the final (and sixth) racking takes place in April, when the wine is in its 18th month of ageing. The best time for bottling depends on its development and usually takes place in late Spring or early Summer. Thanks to the care taken during racking, bottling is done without filtering, which preserves all the wine's finest qualities.

SUMMER

The first year cellar remains cool despite the summer heat. The wine is racked in September after the August heat waves, and the barrels are moved into the second year cellars so that the new vintage can take their place.