HERE’S A WINE that lives up to its troubling name: “Historical XIXth Century Wine”. There's no trace of Palmer, its château, or even an appellation on the midnight-blue label of this rare and historical wine.

Tradition enjoys the charm of dreams and inspires both mysteries and conversations.

IN THE 19TH CENTURY Bordeaux vintners would fortify certain clarets by adding a little Hermitage wine to the assemblage to bolster the structure, the color, and the radiance. At the time, combining grape varieties and regions was tolerated. English connoisseurs enjoyed the droplets of the Rhône poured into the Gironde, which lent the wine a garnet-colored tinge while flavoring it with pepper or violet. Syrah was renowned for being a “medicinal” variety capable of enhancing ordinary vintages – and sometimes transforming them into smooth, powerful wines. Certain grands crus from Bordeaux were also “hermitaged” throughout the century. Today, fleeting fantasies are all that remain of this alchemy.

A bottle of Palmer 1869, the astonishing impression of biting into a cloud.

HOWEVER, THE PALATE RETAINS its own secret memory. After accepting the invitation of a Californian collector, Thomas Duroux was overwhelmed upon tasting an 1869 Château Palmer and detecting an apparent subtlety from another era. Had the bottle been hermitaged? While unable to know for sure, he was inspired by the experience to resurrect this ancient practice by reinterpreting its original purpose. The new hybrid method was instead used to magnify the excellence of a wine so unquestioningly exceptional that risks could be taken. This led to the birth of Historical XIXth Century Wine, both an oenological challenge and a two-fold tribute to the history of Bordeaux and the flavors of the Rhône Valley. An invitation to adventure across the centuries and through France’s winemaking regions.

“This is a collective creation, the free interpretation of a forgotten tradition which piques our imagination and invites us to dare something different.”
Thomas Duroux — Director, Château Palmer

EVERY WINTER, the Château Palmer management team travels up and down the northern Côtes du Rhône region. While there, they identify the 10% of Syrah grapes which, when combined with the estate’s Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, will enrich the assemblage by lending it just enough complexity, smooth, precise tannins, compact grain, velvety mouthfeel, and notes of undergrowth or black truffle. Keeping a base assemblage from Palmer’s iconic plots in mind, Thomas Duroux and Sabrina Pernet set out to taste the most intense Syrah wines, picturing the final edifice by relying on memory and instinct. They return from each journey with two or three barrels, whose exact origins have been carefully concealed since the adventure began.

TESTED ON BATCHES FROM 2004, Historical XIXth Century Wine expanded in 2006 before dazzling in 2010. Today, it has become a signature of the Château; the incarnation of a rare wine that confronts appellations and breaks free from accepted norms. With its discreet volume – around five thousand bottles per year – this is a collection wine which intrigues refined palates and influential sommeliers, shaking up classicism to better celebrate history.

This wine is the expression of our hesitations and the fruit of infinite curiosity