Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Château Paloumey is a property located in the Haut-Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux bordering the famous Margaux appellation. The name refers to the palombes (large pigeons) that fly over the vineyards. Heavily impacted by the phylloxera crisis during the 20th century, the estate was in a poor condition and all of vines were pulled up and never replanted. This all changed in 1989 when the dynamic Martine Cazeneuve purchased the property and had a vision to restore it to its former glory. With a dedicated team, they replanted the entire vineyard over the course of 20 years and built a state of the art cellar.
Today, it is 34 hectares (84 acres) in size with parcels next to Château La Lagune and Château Cantermerle (both Classified Growths). In 2015, Pierre Cazeneuve, Martine’s son and a trained enologist, took over the management of the family’s property. After harvest, the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks and the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Estate grown and bottled. Certified Organic.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.