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Grape: Chardonnay
Alcohol: 12% abv
Type: Sparkling White, Classic Method
Vintage: 2018
Format: 75cl
Sub-Region: Montagne de Reims
Region: Champagne
Country: France
Champagne Palmer & Co is a prestigious Champagne house located in the city of Reims in the Champagne region of France. The house was founded in 1947 by seven wine-growing families who owned Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, one of the most highly regarded areas of Champagne. These founders shared the goal of producing high-quality Champagne that expressed the excellence of the region’s terroir while combining tradition with precise winemaking techniques.
Today, Palmer & Co works with a network of hundreds of growers and vineyards across the Champagne region, with a strong focus on vineyards in the Montagne de Reims. Many of these vineyard sites are classified as Premier Cru or Grand Cru, which are the highest quality classifications in Champagne. This access to top vineyard sites allows the house to produce wines with consistent structure, balance, and depth. The grapes used in their Champagnes mainly include the traditional varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, each contributing different characteristics to the final blend.
One of the defining features of Palmer & Co is its commitment to extended ageing. The wines mature in deep chalk cellars in Reims for longer than the minimum period required by Champagne regulations. Non-vintage wines are aged for about four years, while vintage Champagnes can mature for five to eight years or longer. This extended ageing helps develop greater complexity, texture, and depth in the wines.
The style of Palmer & Co Champagne is described as elegant, balanced, and precise. The freshness and purity of Chardonnay bring brightness and finesse, while Pinot Noir contributes structure and power, and Meunier adds roundness and fruit character. Combined with a significant proportion of reserve wines and long ageing on the lees, this blending approach produces Champagnes that are complex, refined, and expressive of the Montagne de Reims terroir.
The Blanc de Blancs 2018 is a vintage Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, primarily sourced from Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims and Côte de Sézanne. The term Blanc de Blancs means “white from whites,” referring to Champagne produced only from white grape varieties, in this case Chardonnay. The 2018 vintage benefited from favourable growing conditions, allowing the grapes to achieve excellent ripeness while maintaining the freshness and acidity essential for high-quality Champagne.
In appearance, the wine shows a pale golden colour with fine, persistent bubbles, reflecting careful vinification and extended ageing on the lees. On the nose, it offers elegant and refined aromas, including citrus fruits such as lemon and grapefruit, along with notes of green apple, white flowers, and subtle mineral nuances. With ageing, more complex aromas develop, such as brioche, toasted almonds, and light pastry notes.
On the palate, the Blanc de Blancs 2018 is fresh, precise, and well structured, with vibrant acidity and a delicate creamy mousse. Flavors of citrus, orchard fruits, and subtle pastry notes combine to create a harmonious balance between freshness and complexity. The finish is long, crisp, and elegant, making this Champagne a refined expression of Chardonnay and a classic example of the elegant and mineral-driven style associated with Blanc de Blancs Champagnes.
The Champagne wine region is located in northeastern France, about 150 km east of Paris, and is one of the most famous sparkling wine regions in the world. The region has a cool continental climate with significant maritime influence, which creates relatively low average temperatures and a short growing season. These cool conditions slow down grape ripening, allowing grapes to retain high acidity and moderate sugar levels, which are essential for producing high-quality sparkling wines. The region also experiences moderate rainfall throughout the year and occasional frost risks in spring, making viticulture challenging but ideal for producing fresh and elegant base wines for Champagne.
A key component of Champagne’s terroir is its unique chalky soils, formed from ancient marine sediments. These soils provide excellent drainage while also retaining enough moisture to support the vines during dry periods. The chalk also reflects sunlight and helps regulate soil temperature, contributing to the consistent ripening of grapes. This distinctive terroir supports the three main grape varieties used in Champagne production: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, each contributing different characteristics such as acidity, structure, and fruitiness to the final blend.
The Montagne de Reims is one of the most important sub-regions of Champagne, located south of the city of Reims. Despite its name, which means “Mountain of Reims,” the area is actually a forested plateau with vineyards planted on its slopes. The region is particularly known for its Premier Cru and Grand Cru villages, which produce some of the highest-quality grapes in Champagne. The slopes of the Montagne de Reims provide excellent sun exposure and protection from strong winds, creating favorable growing conditions for the vines.
Ideal drinking temperature 10° Celsius.
