Chateau Palmer: The first wine dinner atop the Sofitel helipad
The Sofitel helipad has never been open previously except for heads of state, royalty and celebrities.
When I received the invitation to the Chateau Palmer wine dinner at Sofitel, I said I wasn’t sure if I could make it. Now, before I get boinked on the head for being an adjective that starts with an “s” (defined as “lacking intelligence or common sense”), let me clarify that it was because I had been ill for days straight. But when I was told that the very exclusive dinner, in partnership with AWC Philippines, was for just 20 people at P15,000 per head — and that the venue was on the Sofitel helipad — which had never been open previously except for the descent of heads of states, royalty and celebrities — I made it my mission, whatever my condition was, to be there.
A compromise of technology and legacy
Chateau Palmer is a leading 135-acre estate in the Margaux appellation, ranking second just after Chateau Margaux itself. The New York Times’ Eric Asimov describes it best: “Palmer is often regarded as the best of the rest, differing from Chateau Margaux in terms of its more opulent style rather than its quality.” Its blends use a relatively high proportion of merlot (compared to a Margaux), of about 40 percent (along with 55 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and five percent Cabernet Franc), and this is what contributes to the wine’s richness, with a more specific distinctive style of warm blackberries, dark chocolate and violets. It was named after Charles Palmer, a British general who owned the property from 1814 to 1843, and its wines classified as a 3ème Cru Classé and was established as a Super Second long before Léoville Las Case, Ducru-Beaucaillou and Pichon-Lalande,
Credentials aside, what makes Chateau Palmer so special? “(Palmer) is about consistency,” explained Damien Grelat, export director to Asia Pacific. “It’s a chateau which has a history of four centuries with only six families (having lived) in the estates — while others change owners every year. This is how we get our style and consistency. It’s a good compromise of technology and legacy.”
The first dinner on the Sofitel helipad
The evening atop the special venue that overlooks Manila Bay was made even more romantic with the light breeze and the illumination coming from the most historic part of our capital city. It began with the Alter Ego — a different expression of the vineyard heralding the freshness of fruit, which was described by Damien as being “more approachable and accessible,” created to be enjoyed two or three years after bottling — or stored in a cellar for a few unexpected surprises.
Perhaps the most interesting Chateau Palmer wine is the full-bodied 2007 Hermitage. It is sometimes referred to as the Historical XIXth Century wine because it is an homage to the 19th-century practice of blending Hermitage with the wine of Bordeaux. It does not have the word “Margaux” on the label, as they have added 15 percent Syrah from Hermitage (a place in the Rhone Valley with main grape varietals of Syrah/ Shiraz and Grenache) — as Damien described, “for fun.” (To situate this in a historical context, back in the day the Bordeaux was referred to as clairet and resembled grape juice more than the wine we know today. They could not call it Hermitage because of the appellation controlée rules and therefore have dropped the “h.”) “Sometimes, we aren’t too serious about the complexity in the glass,” added Damien.
These, of course, paired greatly with the food prepared by the Sofitel team led by executive chef Denis Vecchiato and restaurant operations chef Bettina Arguelles. A personal favorite was the corn crème brulee — which had all the elements of the famous French dessert, but this time savory — topped with the homemade duck prosciutto. Likewise, the Truffled Brie En Croute served with Port Wine Honey and Macadamia Brittle made you want to eat the entire thing; the only thing stopping you was the fact that you knew it was a major calorie bomb.
What was remarkable about Damien was when he told us not to care too much about the scores and points of the wines (Chateau Palmer wines mostly rank 90+++ points, by the way) but rather, this dinner was all about taste and preference. “This is your own palette and decision; you need to give a fair chance for each vineyard to express their own singularity,” he shared. “The vintage is a very subjective thing and whether it charms you or not, at least give them a try. I will be grateful if you catch the style. My wife is pregnant and the due date is early May. So while 2005 is my favorite vintage (at the moment), 2015 will be my favorite vintage (after). Tonight, forget about scores and classification of 1855, that’s the order and mission tonight — to have a good time.”
Over dinner, he also shared that it was a little intimidating at first to fill in the shoes of his predecessor, who had been in the industry for decades. However, I told him that he was also one of the first Frenchmen to declare that it’s all about pleasure and enjoyment — you don’t hear that much these days from old-world wineries, most of which are focused on scores and accolades. (Our seatmates, Philippine Airlines’ Laurent Recoura, who is likewise a French national, and his lovely wife Francesca, likewise agreed saying that normally it’s new-world wineries that make such a statement.) I think it’s a rather perfect match, as wasn’t this the same winery that injected Syrah — “for fun”?
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Chateau Palmer is distributed by AWC Philippines. It is located at 2294 Smithbell Building, Don Chino Roces, Ave. Ext., Brgy. Magallanes, Makati City. Visits are by appointment only. Call 817-1417 or visit www.antique-wine.com.
Chateau Palmer wines are also available at Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s Spiral by the bottle. For orders, call 551-5555 or email h6308-fb12@sofitel.com.
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You can reach me at inbetweendeadlines@gmail.com, on my blog www.cheryltiu.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cheryltiu or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/chertiu.
