2013 could have been a catastrophic year. In terms of the climate, we had not experienced such a complicated vintage since 1992, when a wet, cold spring led to coulure affecting a number of old Merlot vines. Yet in the end, this ordeal enabled us to refine our know-how and develop our intuitions for the assemblage even further. Our winemaking processes produced a silky, particularly delicate wine which we are very proud of today.

“Difficult vintages are the most interesting for understanding the soul of an estate; they reveal the terroir and its incredible resilience.”
Thomas Duroux — CEO of Château Palmer

Never “waste a crisis”, as French philosopher Bruno Latour once said. That is why the 2013 vintage, which emerged from appalling weather and botrytis-ridden Merlot, now seems like a virtuous step, almost a springboard. It confirms that it is high time that we apply biodynamic winemaking techniques to all the plots, while compensating for the lack of sunlight by taking extra care of the land and ensuring meticulous blending in the cellar.A year as wet and cool as this, with spring threatening to leave us in the lurch, cannot withstand the slightest guesswork. As a result, it reveals the combined value of terroir and technique.

In the vineyards, 2013 welcomed the arrival of two cows named Ivresse and Iamine, while the estate’s first sheep grazed a few yards away. The animals settled in and the chemicals begin to fade away, the winemakers spraying the vines with antifungal substances for the last time in Château Palmer’s history.In the cellar, the precision of the optical sorting system, inaugurated the previous year was used to select the most promising berries and keep only “the cream of the terroir’s crop” for the assemblage, as Thomas Duroux puts it. Lively discussions went back and forth amid the vats, and the juice was extracted with meticulous attention to detail.

With ten years’ hindsight, Château Palmer 2013 boasts a singular delicacy, a subtle yet limpid mouthfeel, as well as a precious charm.

The vines remained very vegetative, threatened simultaneously by mildew and botrytis. The grapes were barely ripe enough, but the plots were changing rapidly and required our unerring vigilance. On the last weekend in September, we rallied all our teams, including those in the office, to harvest around twenty hectares in two days!Strangely enough, we only have good memories of this episode. I think it even helped us gain in self-confidence.

“We felt as though we had been deprived of light and warmth. This was a summerless vintage.”
Sabrina Pernet — Technical Director of Château Palmer

The winegrowers had never experienced such a wet winter. Spring stubbornly extended the off-season instead of shining its sunrays and parading about like a peacock at mating time. The light was dim, the rain ravaged the soil, and vine growth suffered as a result. Just like in 2012, the weather from April to June led to a late and laborious budding under the constant threat of mildew. The teams watched the horizon and kept their fingers crossed.

Alas, June brought little in the way of miracles and the rain persisted. In the Gironde region, June 2013 remains – along with 1992 – the wettest month in 50 years. Dramatically cool temperatures spoiled the flowering and caused coulure on the old Merlot vines. A brief improvement in July offered a glimmer of hope, which was quickly dampened by a series of thunderstorms in the first week of August. The veraison of the Cabernet and Merlot grapes was two weeks late. Meanwhile, the winegrowers put on their boots and gritted their teeth.

The summer weather had prevented the grapes from ripening fully, and September brought yet more rain. Coupled with high temperatures, these conditions encouraged the development of botrytis and damaged the skins of the most sensitive grapes. Their deep red hue can turn gray in just a few hours, and the Merlot grapes had to be picked in a race against the clock starting on September 27. The harvest ended on October 11. Only precise winemaking and the potential magic of the assemblage could now influence the vintage’s fate.

We knew that the grapes lacked strength and phenolic concentration, but we were pleasantly surprised on the aromatic front. We spent a lot of time debating the assemblage to find the ideal balance between a slightly pronounced acidity and tannins that were, in the end, less rustic than we feared. We worked very carefully, very gently, adapting to the individual vats and the different identities of each plot.

“We were incredibly restrictive in our choice of grapes, keeping only the heart of Château Palmer.”
Thomas Duroux — CEO of Château Palmer

Only a third of the harvest was kept for blending, which inspired extensive tasting and debate within the team. Tasting, doubting, and finally deciding. The Cabernet Sauvignon took the upper hand, with 51% over the Merlot’s 49%. The Petit Verdot was not included. The pomace was handled with the utmost care to avoid extracting the potentially rustic tannins. Everything was weighed with extremely gentle, meticulous gestures to preserve the juice’s exquisite, velvety texture. Slowly but surely, a silky, colorful vintage began to take shape.

2013 is a vintage of redemption, a lovely fruit brought in from the rain, and one that has nothing to be ashamed of when tasted ten years after the harvest. This is not an opulent wine, but rather a delicate vintage whose nose and length have developed beautifully with age. The lightness that we initially feared has transformed into a sought-after elegance. The tannins are supple, and a touch of acidity adds to the pleasure.
Château Palmer 2013 does not yield to pretention. It stands the test of time and promises to unfurl its aesthete’s quiet and gentle character throughout the next decade.

“Château Palmer 2013 holds its own and has a bright future ahead of it. It offers everything that makes Palmer wines so beautiful; that distinctive grain and mouthfeel.”
Thomas Duroux — CEO of Château Palmer