Palmer&CoCollectionBlancdeBlancs1996

In 1947, seven well-established and visionary winegrowers came together in a joint quest for ultimate perfection and founded Champagne Palmer & Co. The founders bought its current cellars from a failing Champagne House in Reims in 1959. Over the years, the cooperative has spread past Reims and now owns an impressive 450 hectares of vineyards, over 200 of which are classified Grand and Premier Crus. A large percentage of Palmer’s vineyards are in the Montagne de Reims giving Palmer a unique source of chardonnay in these cooler aspect locations, Blanc de Blancs being one of the stars in the Palmer portfolio. Palmer are one of few producers to ferment large formats, everything bigger than Jeroboam, in the final bottle and up to Nebuchadnezzar, 15 litres, are made in this way.rrPalmer & Co Collection champagnes are a prestigious collection of vintage champagnes, stored perfectly in their 18-meter-deep chalk cellars. Palmer Blanc de Blancs is created from Chardonnay grapes sources mainly from the magnificent terroirs of Villers-Marmery and Trépail. The fruits from these two terroirs are blended with Chardonnay from Côte de Sézanne. The cuvées have been selected by cellar master Xavier Berdin and Palmer’s four oenologists for their superior quality and ageing potential and have been ageing on their lees until being recently disgorged. The Collection Range include some of the best vintages of the last 40 years: 1998, 1996, 1988, 1981, 1979 & 1976.rrThe bottles, magnums, and larger formats, are stored upside down in our cellars for twenty years or more. The very long ageing process gives an intense and complex character to these great wines while at the same time ensuring that they remain remarkably fresh to the palate.rrPalmer ID: L21297 | Each bottle of Palmer & Co can be identified by the ID on the back label, using the Palmer App or on the Palmer & Co website.rrWeather: A year like no other, 1996 in Champagne married the highest levels of sugar and acidity in living memory; the resulting wines are extraordinary in their concentration, yet perfectly poised in terms of structural definition. The year 1996 is to become a year that will go down in Champagne’s history books.rrTechnical Information:rVineyards: 85% Premier Cru: Montagne de Reims, Trepail & Villers-Marmery | 15% Other Cru: Côte de SézannerGrape Varieties: 100% ChardonnayrLees ageing: 18 yearsrDosage: 4.3 g/LrDisgorged: 27th of March 2015rBottling date: 5th of July 1997rDrink: Now to 2030rrTasting Note:full and forward nose showing a lot of fruit, ripe apples, pineapple, limes and loads of creamy custard with great balance on the palate;dried fruits apricots, dried lime and pineapple come through with nuttiness and underlying butteriness like in flaky pasty. Beautifully balanced, full and elegant.