2021, Château Palmer, MARGAUX/NORTHERN RHÔNE, Historical XIXth Century Wine L.20.21, Vin de France

49% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah (from the Northern Rhone Valley).

 22 months aged in oak barrels.
Certified biodynamic.

This cuvée is crafted by Château Palmer in the spirit of the 19th century Bordeaux tradition called "hermitagé". In the XIXth (19th) century, it was a common practice of the time to "hermitage" the wines. Bordeaux vintners would add to their wines a certain quantity of wine from the Rhône - notably from the region of Hermitage - whose syrah would strengthen the structure and power of the claret. A few bottles can still be found dating back to this period, whose labels note the name of the cru and the word hermitagé, all from vintages preceding the AOC regulations which finally ended this practice.

In the XXIst 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, director of the estate, had the rare opportunity to taste a 1869 hermitagé. The emotions experienced that day, in the presence of a wine more than a century old, have been fully expressed in the renaissance of Palmer's own hermitagé, the Historical XIXth Century Wine. A definitively historic wine, whose name honours the past of the great wines of Bordeaux.