A spring with a bluesy tune… facing abundant rainfall
and persistent coolness, the vine takes its time to show
its first buds – and we understand. All the better to avoid
the threat of diseases favored by the ambient humidity.

Thankfully the tempo radically changes at the end of July;
the summer is groovy! Sunshine, heat and even a little
drought finally give the vintage its chance. Late it is,
late it remains.
Veraison begins only at the end of July. In August the vine
has resolutely set to work. All its energy is concentrated
on one mission: developing berries with the most beautiful
set of notes. The atmosphere relaxes in the Château:
we breathe and play again with pleasure.

The rhythm changes again in autumn. The humidity has returned
and harvest beats to the tune of a different drum.
Thomas Duroux, our bandleader, sets the note and the group
harmonizes: the entire harvest is picked in 15 consecutive days,
unfortunately a low yield of only 28hl/ha, but thankfully sound.

The swing of the year is an unexpected balance, surprising.
The range combines exuberant and rich Merlots with linear and
precise Cabernet Sauvignons. This 2012 enters the Palmer playbook
as a new interpretation of the smoothness and elegance of our wines.

It took all the talent of our winemakers to create harmony
despite disconcerting – not to say discordant – weather...
The growing season started off with an exceptionally hot
and dry spring that seemed like an early summer.
Bud break and flowering took place with an enormous head-start.
June weather led to a great deal off worry: a hail storm and a short,
but intense heat wave led to significant crop loss.
This very mixed weather nevertheless provided the necessary
water to the vines. And there was a beautiful Indian summer
during the harvest.
After two years that combined quality and quantity, 2011 produced
very small yields, comparable to 1961.
Over the past few months, the task of creating the wines has
taken place behind the scenes, putting to music the notes
that Nature has given us, the unique tones and harmonies that
She has created. Listening to our vines and to our terroir,
we have composed the blend of this new vintage.
Like so many different instruments, they create a nervous melody,
tense and complex. 2011 returns to a more classical rhythm.

After 1982 and 1983, 1989 and 1990, 1995 and 1996, 2009 and 2010
were great back-to-back vintages! What a delightful challenge to taste
them and try to decide which is better… Of course, there will always
be people who will champion one over the other!

Thanks to the beautiful weather throughout the growing season –
except for a few incidents in June – especially at the height of
summer, the marvellous potential of the 2010 vintage is more
obvious with each passing month. The water stress led to a
concentration of phenolic compounds greater than in 2009.
Furthermore, excellent acidity added a very welcome counterpoint,
giving the 2010 vintage much appreciated freshness and confirming
its ageing potential.
Thanks to ideal weather during the harvest, we could take our time,
picking in adagio mode to let the grapes reach optimum ripeness.

Epitomising the Palmer style, the 2010 vintage plays the same
refrain as the 2009: power, concentration, and balance – soft-pedalled,
under control, well-tamed power, accompanied by a delicate side
that is sure to blossom over time.

In 2009, nature played the music with panache!
And there were no – or hardly any - false notes from the weather…
Flowering, véraison (colour change) and ripening all happened
so perfectly that, with each passing month, what had been
only a hope in spring was transformed into a wonderful certainty
by autumn. Nature had given birth to a masterpiece. It was up
to the winemaking team to make the most of it.
The tempo picked up at the equinox in September and it was
soon time to start picking during a beautiful Indian Summer.
The first notes were heard from the Merlot grapes.
These were in excellent condition, ripe, and concentrated.
They defined the theme to which Cabernet Sauvignon and
then Petit Verdot added harmonious chords.

If 2009 were a jazz concert, one would say that it had achieved
swing rythme – that mysterious and fascinating moment of grace
or inspiration that imbues musicians with the urge to create a
brilliant improvisation.
This vintage proved to be a legend from the very first tasting.
Deep, intense, and complex, its music pulsates with power and
sensuality. It has a great future ahead of it - there can be no
doubt that 2009 has great ageing potential.