Champagne Palmer Vintage Collection 1996
Overview
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“Palmer’s 1996 Brut Collection Vintage is very typical of this vintage in Champagne, unfurling in the glass with aromas of iodine, smoky citrus oil, mandarin and honeycomb. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, bright and incisive, with a broad, delicately textural attack, good intensity at the core and a bright spine of tangy acidity that contributes considerable back- end drive and effectively plays off the wine’s dosage. Drinking well today, this is the finest wine I have ever tasted from Palmer.” – William Kelley, robertparker.com |
Wine Facts
VITICULTURE: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Munier for this wine come from the Grand Crus Mailly Verzenay, and the Premier Crus Trépail, Villers-Marmery, Ludes, Rilly-la-Montagne and Chigny-les-Roses.
Weather conditions in 1996 began with a dry, mild winter and some frost in February. The budding took place in mid-April with a heat spike followed by cold temperatures in May. The mild summer gave way to harvest in the second half of September. With well- chosen harvest dates, there was a balance of strength and acidity.
FAMILY: The Palmer Champagne house in Reims is one of the newest houses in Champagne—only 75 years old—young enough to still innovate but old enough to have respected heritage. It was founded by seven passionate grower-families, obsessed with producing top-quality and legendary champagne, with the clear vision to create a Grande Marque.
Palmer has holdings of over 500 acres of vineyards in the Montagne de Reims sub-region of Champagne, all of which are Premier or Grand Cru vineyards. With its labyrinthine chalk cellars, deep beneath the streets of Reims, and its wines that spend an extended amount of time on their lees, it’s little wonder why Champagne Palmer cuvées have such orchestral flavors—flavors which are always harmonious and balanced.
Champagne Palmer is heavily committed to sustainable winegrowing, focusing on soil and vine nutrition, soil maintenance, treatment of the vines and sustainable protection of the vineyards.
Producer: Champagne Palmer
Region: Montagne de Reims, Champagne
Country: France
Wine Composition: 46% Chardonnay, 37% Pinot Noir, 17% Meunier
Alcohol: 12%
Dosage: 7.5 G/L