The atmosphere in the château’s kitchen that day was light and cheerful. Recently back from an agronomic escapade with a group of Sicilian colleagues, Thomas Duroux and Sabrina Pernet, the director and technical director of Château Palmer, were sketching the broad outlines of an exciting new food project. Since its biodynamic beginnings, the estate has been through a series of transformations, reinventing itself as a holistic, self-sufficient, circular farm, turning away from monocultures to instead return to a more traditional mixed system of crop and livestock farming.

The principles of biodynamic agriculture were first introduced to the estate in 2009 with an initial trial carried out on a 2.5-acre test plot, which was extended to five acres the following year. And so on… From then on, the teams gradually adopted a comprehensive, long-term vision. The community began to think in terms of biodiversity and virtuous synergies between animals, plants and humans. From then on, everything on the estate was viewed from several angles: philosophical, technical, aesthetic and nutritional. “Everything must be thought through, reflect a profound meaning and convey a desire for change,” says Sabrina Pernet. The entire estate was then converted to biodynamic viticulture after the 2014 vintage.

“Everything must be well thought out and convey a desire for change”
Sabrina Pernet — Technical Director of Château Palmer

A series of sustainable initiatives were also introduced alongside the gradual conversion to biodynamic farming. In late 2014, the first cows joined the Landes ewes to help supply the estate with compost. With the help of the Conservatoire des Races d’Aquitaine, the teams chose a local breed, the Bordelaise, a robust queen with a black and white coat, originally from the rich alluvial prairies and sandy stretches of the Gironde River. Having been the most widespread local breed until the late 19th century, it later declined in favour of new, more productive, non-endemic industrial breeds. Since starting out with three head of cattle, the Château Palmer herd now numbers around thirty, peacefully cohabiting with goats, ewes, Gascon pigs, turkeys and chickens.

Today, Emilie Husson, the granddaughter of butchers from Bordeaux, is the energetic but mild-tempered woman in charge of caring for the herd alongside Teddy, a former winegrower and new farmer. Palmer’s cows produce precious manure which, when mixed with crushed vine shoots and grape stalks, produces a unique fertiliser. But these cattle are also used for food, at the Table du Château and in the Village canteen. “We feed the cattle for five to six years – compared with an average of four years on conventional farms – which means that they produce quality fat and an incomparable flavour. They are then slaughtered before being eaten here. There couldn’t be a more sensible way to farm,” says Emilie Husson.

“There couldn’t be a more sensible way to farm”
Emilie Husson — Head herder at Château Palmer

In late 2016, in addition to the start of livestock farming, an agroforestry project was launched. More than half a mile of hedgerows was planted, and the first hundred fruit trees were transplanted amidst the vines. In less than three years, more than a thousand trees had been planted in the middle of the plots, with a coverage of just over six trees per acre. Once again, a holistic vision has been a cornerstone in this process. “These trees combine ornamental qualities with therapeutic effects for the vines, and are also useful for food,” says Sabrina Pernet. Napoleon cherry, Williams pear and Bergeron apricot trees are all species whose production will increase over the years, and whose fruit can eventually be used to make desserts and brandies.

In 2020, Palmer welcomed its market gardener, Viviane Vincent-Tejero. This laboratory manager, who specialised in terrestrial ecology while in the United States and retrained as a vegetable gardener on her return to France, has been given carte blanche to transform the former space used for workers’ allotments into a nourishing vegetable garden. “When I came back to France, I wanted to do something tangible: grow things and feed people. Wine is poetic, it is magnificent, but it doesn’t have a direct impact on how we eat. Poetry is nothing on an empty stomach.” With this in mind the first vegetables were harvested in July 2020, just a few months after the arrival of this vivacious character. “I wanted to work with the Conservatoire du Goût de Floirac, a horticultural conservation initiative founded in 2017 by Rachel Lagière and Christophe Collini. They work to preserve heritage seeds that have the best flavour and nutritional qualities. Our priority is not yield but taste.”

“Our priority is not yield but taste”
Viviane Vincent-Tejero — Head Market Gardener at Château Palmer

As this journey progressed, plans for the estate workers’ canteen and the Table de Palmer restaurant took shape almost naturally. The restaurant, previously reserved for events with the estate’s partners, is now preparing to host a handful of connoisseurs each day in a historic and intimate setting, serving dishes crafted by the extraordinarily talented chef Jean-Denis Le Bras and his crack team.

“We hope to continue in the same vein as we have until now, both as farmers and creators of agricultural products. In addition to the grapes that become wine, we want the products of our vegetable gardening and livestock farming to feed into two entities: a village canteen for those who make Palmer what it is every day, and a gourmet restaurant designed to offer connoisseurs a unique and timeless experience,” says Thomas Duroux.

As for how the canteen came about, “It all happened quite naturally, without anyone actually planning it. The turning point at Palmer came when we realised that biodynamic agriculture was based on a holistic, inclusive and comprehensive vision. When you grow beautiful vegetables and rear beautiful animals, you inevitably reflect on the purpose of it all,” says Thomas Duroux. “Inaugurating a restaurant that uses our products is common sense, and a way to put an end to a certain form of agricultural schizophrenia.” As for Sabrina Pernet, adding a food component to this farming vision was a necessary step, a way to return to her roots and to a certain taste of childhood. She grew up in the Perche region, surrounded by fruit and vegetables from her parents’ garden. It was therefore unthinkable to work with food without being entirely connected to the land. “The only way to control the flavour and quality of our produce is by growing it ourselves in the ground, in living soil. The quality of human encounters is also what makes all these possibilities so real and tangible.”

“Inaugurating a restaurant that uses our products is common sense”
Thomas Duroux — Director of Château Palmer

The project’s guiding objective is to offer a healthy, balanced menu every day of the week, both to the estate’s employees and to outside guests. In short, a return to a traditional and meaningful way of eating. “We are offering a starter, a main and a dessert. We want to create a generous cuisine, because we are feeding people who work, but also one that can be enjoyed and shared with others. The dishes will be placed on the table and everyone will be able to help themselves to as much as they want. I want people to rediscover the pleasure of homemade food – and the pleasure of making it,” says Jean-Denis Le Bras. The overall theme will be unpretentious, accessible gastronomy at an authentic workers’ eatery at the heart of the Palmer Village, in all its beauty and nobility. “The biggest challenge will then be to reach out to the local people, to make them realise that the Palmer canteen is a place that brings people together and nurtures them,” says Thomas Duroux. “We are also doing this to reinforce the bonds within the estate, and to forge ties with the nearby town of Margaux.

“I want people to rediscover the pleasure of homemade food”
Jean-Denis Le Bras — Executive chef at Château Palmer

That lunchtime, Jean-Denis Le Bras, a burly Breton who has worked in the kitchens of some of the greatest chefs of his generation, whets our appetites with a few precious radishes packed with flavours of wild rocket, picked that very morning in the château's kitchen garden. This is followed by a shoulder of lamb – from the estate’s own flock – marinated in ewe’s yoghurt with Béarnais chili pepper, braised and served with chard and finely crunchy turnips.

“Not all the production will come from the estate. We won’t be able to be entirely self-sufficient, but I want us to keep things as local as possible,” says the chef. As soon as he arrived in Château Palmer kitchens, Jean-Denis Le Bras set out to meet local farmers to discover the range of products. “Instead of offering rice, I like to cook lentils or spelt, which come from a nearby producer. These constraints are also a way of challenging my cooking and encouraging me to push my creativity even further.” What’s more, sourcing local produce means supporting the arrival and development of new farmers by providing them with an income.

From farm to fork, a sustainable and logical foodscape is being developed through these two ambitious, nourishing projects. It’s enough to make you want to eat and drink Palmer for months – and years – to come!