Chateau Palmer Historical Palmer XIX th Century (750ml)

In the 19th century, it was a common practice of the time to “hermitage” wines Bordeaux.  Bordeaux chateaux would add a little bit of wine from the Rhone – mainly Syrah from the Hermitage region  – to strengthen the structure and power of the paler and lighter wines from Bordeaux.  There are rare bottles dating back to this period, whose labels note the name of the cru and the word “hermitagé”.  But once AOC regulations came into place in 1937, this practice ended. 

In the 21st century, Château Palmer came up with the idea of bringing this forgotten tradition back to life. Years ago, during a visit to a renowned collector in California, Thomas Duroux, the director of the property, tasted a 19th century Bordeaux hermitagé.  He was so moved by this rare experience that he decided to create a Palmer hermitagé, the Historical XIXth Century Wine.  This is an homage to the storied past of winemaking.  Today, the aim is no longer to simply boost a meagre “claret” but to give it muscle and create a unique wine, combining wine from Palmer and a small measure of a great wine from the northern Côtes du Rhône.