CHATEAU PALOUMEY: FROM GLORY TO OBLIVION
At the beginning of the 19th century, Chateau Paloumey, a 35 hectare property in Ludon-Medoc, belonged to a wine merchant by the name of Octave Dupuy. Convinced of the southern Medoc’s excellent potential, he embarked on a complete renovation of the property Chateau Paloumey’s wines enjoyed an excellent reputation and were soon ranked among the best Crus Bourgeois du Medoc, as can be seen in the second edition of “Bordeaux and its Wines” published by Feret in 1868. Weakened by the phylloxera crisis at the end of the nineteenth century and a victim of the war years, Paloumey’s vineyard was abandoned and in 1950 all of the vines were pulled up. Chateau Paloumey languished in oblivion for nearly 40 years. CHATEAU PALOUMEY’S RENAISSANCE: ONE WOMAN’S PASSION When, in 1989, Martine Cazeneuve took up the challenge to restore Chateau Paloumey’s reputation, it was a monumental task: there were no vines and no winery ! The Chateau, an early nineteenth century family house, was the only remnant of the property’s glorious past. Martine Cazeneuve, in association with the company Francois Charles Oberthur, devoted several years of intense, impassioned work to reforming the various plots in the vineyard, planting new vines and building a winery to breathe new life into the property. Her determination was rewarded in 2003 when the quality of the wines was recognized once again and Chateau Paloumey was promoted to the category of Crus Bourgeois Superieur. Today there are 34 hectares of vines planted in the communes of Ludon-Medoc and Cussac-Fort-Medoc. CHATEAU PALOUMEY AND THE EXCELLENCE OF THE CRUS BOURGEOIS Chateau Paloumey has been part of the Crus Bourgeois du Medoc family since the nineteenth century. The Bourgeois, originally residents of the city of Bordeaux, were the happy owners of many of the region’s finest properties. Bordeaux’s wine brokers recorded 444 Crus Bourgeois in 1932, but it was not until 2003 that the first official classification was established. Chateau Paloumey was recognized as one of the best, with the awarding of Cru Bourgeois Superieur status ! Following the annulment of the classification in 2007, a new annual quality selection procedure was introduced by the Crus Bourgeois, called the ”Official Selection”. Since the 2008 vintage, Cru Bourgeois approval has been granted every year to Chateau Paloumey, and to Chateau La Garricq, made from our vines in Moulis-en-Medoc. This approval represents a well-deserved recognition of the quality of Vignobles Paloumey’s wines.
The 2016 Paloumey has a pleasant blackberry and mulberry scented bouquet with wilted iris and pot pourri aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, nicely balanced although, I would have appreciated more detail and terroir expression on the conservative finish. I feel this could have been better. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Tasted at the Cru Bourgeois tasting in London. - Vinous Media 88 points
The 2016 Paloumey offers outgoing, quite plush blackberry, black tea and black olive scents on the nose, a touch of melted tar developing with aeration. It like the gutsy-style of this Haut-Medoc. The palate is medium-bodied with crushed blackberry, white pepper and a touch of citrus fruit. There is plenty of freshness here, although I would be seeking more cohesion and a touch more detail on the finish. - Robert Parker 88 points
