The Champagne Palmer & Co team were out in strength with Rémi Vervier (managing director and oenologist), Raymond Ringeval (global commercial director), Armand Briffoteau (export area manager) and François Demouy (communications & PR director) all in attendance for the launch of Champagne Palmer 2018. When the hosting team are 25% of the table you know you are in for not only a treat but also an in-depth Palmer & Co vision and experience. That we certainly had...
We were blessed in that multi Michelin Star Chef Yannick Alleno (he has 17 Michelin Stars across his 19 global restaurants) had the previous evening flown into London to receive an award (The Catey for International Outstanding Achievement Award) and therefore lunch was pure ‘Michelin’ excellence, rated up there as one of the finest trade wine matching lunches I have attended.
The lunch was to launch the Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2018 in bottle format, although we also tried the recently released Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2013 in magnum, before then moving onto two of Palmer’s most celebrated Collection wines in magnum, the 1995 and 1985.
Champagne Palmer & Co was established in 1947 by a group of cooperatives that wanted to create one of the finest quality brands in the market. Huntley & Palmer biscuits, which had a widespread popularity in France after the war, inspired the name and it was felt that the brand name ‘Palmer’ would entice the British middle class to buy this champagne.
By choosing Palmer instead of Huntley this, of course, caused an issue with a certain Bordeaux establishment, which went on for some time before the seven founding members of the Palmer Cooperative sent a case of its champagne to Château Palmer and the quality impressed them so much that they withdrew the objection.
In 2015 Palmer & Co went through a further change where all their non-vintage wines went through a name change to reflect the large amounts of reserve wines in them and to reflect their long ageing before release, and which are now called Reserve as opposed to Non Vintage.
Champagne Palmer & Co is unique in that it is Chardonnay dominated but much of it is sourced from the villages of Trepail and Villers-Marmery, an area noted for Pinot Noir on the eastern Montagne de Reims, instead of Côte des Blancs. Additional grapes are sourced further south from Côte de Sézanne. Palmer is also unique in that only about half its production is sold under the Palmer label the rest being sold to the main Champagne Houses, giving them some unique high quality wine.
Champagne Palmer & Co La Reserve en Magnum
Citrus, pear and juicy apricots, strudel/brioche notes, with great freshness, based on the 2017 season, and with six years on lees, this is a seamless, pure, focused, fresh champagne that has great balance, highlighting the value and quality at this price. This is the ‘flagship’ of the house,
Champagne Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2018 (75cl)
The purity and citrus notes give this pure Chardonnay incredible freshness, which is expressive, with stone fruit, line marmalade and apricots. ‘Purity’ and ‘freshness’ again come up in my notes, with a fine, delicate mid-palate. After 30 minutes in the glass there is a grown-up purity and elegance to this wine, which is truly refined. I would love to see this in magnum, a bargain buy in the bottle.
Matched to Chirashi Tartlet Nicoise Style, set in an air-delicate crisp tartlet, marinated tuna, with Provençal vegetables, infused with sesame oil, with a creamy earthy artichoke puree, topped with a soft quails egg and caviar, a pure joy, perfect with the fresh 2018 lifting the wine to new heights.
Champagne Palmer & Co Blanc de Blancs 2013 en magnum
Toasty brioche, biscuit, fresh, lime, stone fruit, grilled stone fruit, intense white nectarines, mid-palate floral, white flowers, evolve with some lime zest, there is a linear focus, that perfect purity, an outstanding exceptional young champagne that will evolve perfectly, would love to see this in a decade.
Matched to Hampshire Aged Trout Tartare, as the Champagne moved on in age and depth so did the food, this dish again was memorising with a perfect balance between the beautiful Hampshire Trout with the seasoning of smoked brown butter, bone marrow and almond. This rich but fresh dish came alive with the focus and depth of the Palmer 2013, highlighting the citrus vibrancy of the palate.
Champagne Palmer & Co Vintage Collection en Magnum 1995
Stunning, pure class, hedonistic, ginger spice, pineapple, apricot, sauce anglaise, lime, white pepper, lime marmalade, almonds, coffee/cocoa, orange zest, tangerine – a pure marvel wow, this may get even better, buy it whilst you can.
Matched to Confit Monkfish Tail, a difficult match here as you are drinking one of the great Champagnes, but I must say the kitchen managed to contain this dish to deliver a succulent sweet monkfish enhanced with the lightest of touches of wild garlic oil and beurre blanc, balanced by baby spinach, roquette and greens.
Champagne Palmer & Co Vintage Collection en Magnum 1985
Ginger, biscotti, textured, cocoa, espresso, mocha, fresh ground Tanzanian chocolate, vibrant; as it evolves in the glass the wine opens up, delivering a sensual pure Chardonnay with delicate bubbles that lift this into a wonderful experience, drinking so well now.
Matched to Crispy Sweetbread, Rougail Sauce, the most delicate of sweetbread deep fried in panko crumbs, with both Shisho leaves and the celery jus giving it a saline focus, with the rich tomato Rougail sauce not overpowering the grandeur of 1985 Palmer, in fact it elevated the wine, again bringing out the freshness.
Both the 1995 and 1985 wines were made by Michel Davesne. According to Tom Stevenson, Michel was “a genius, probably Champagne's greatest unknown chef de caves, and way ahead of his time,” he went on to be chef de caves at Deutz until he retired in 2003.
The 1985 vintage suffered from vast frost damage, and that despite being under such stock control pressure, Michel Davesne chose to bottle the largest volume of magnums ever produced in Champagne and lay it down. Stevenson notes that the term "magnum effect" was not known then and would not be coined until 30 years later.
Rémi Vervier managing director and oenologist, Roger Jones, François Demouy communications & PR director (l-r)
Champagne Palmer & Co moved to Hallgarten & Novum for UK distribution earlier this year with the aim of getting these incredible Champagnes in front of a wider audience in the UK. These Champagnes have always been a favourite of mine especially when basing value to quality.
