Champagne Palmer Offers Underrated Pleasures
So many Champagnes, so little time …
Chances are there are many Champagne houses you've never heard of. This is true everywhere, be in Napa Valley, Tuscany, Burgundy or several other famous wine regions. There are only so many producers in any particular region that receive sufficient attention; perhaps they're more famous, or have more money to spend, but whatever the reasons, many excellent wine producers the world over are consistently underrated.
You can easily put Champagne Palmer, located in Reims, one of the region's most famous cities, on a list of under appreciated producers. Founded in 1947 by seven growers with vineyards in the Montage de Reims area of Champagne, today the company is a cooperative with more than 200 members who farm more than 500 acres in several parts of Champagne, including the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims.
Rémi Vervier, Managing Director and Oenologist at Champagne Palmer
I recently met with Rémi Vervier, Managing Director at Champagne Palmer, and tasted out several new releases as well as one older vintage Champagne. Beginning with their non-vintage La Réserve, a blend of Chardonnay (50%), Pinot Noir (35%) and Meunier (15%), and continuing through the 2015 Grand Terroirs, he spoke about this last cuvée and the philosophy of the founders of Champagne Palmer in general. 'The first Champagne the founders produced was in that spirit,' he remarked. 'It's a combination of Chardonnay, even if all of the Chardonnay comes from the Montagne de Reims (unusual for the Champagne region), so it's very fresh, it's more Pinot-Noir oriented, and only Premier Cru and Grand Cru from the Montagne de Reims.'
For Vervier 2015 was, ' an interesting vintage, a warm vintage, with very fruity expression. 'But a very fragile expression of the vineyard which looks to the north. It conserves the freshness, the liveliness of the wine. Even in a warm year like 2015, you still have this freshness, the elegant bitterness that sustains the fruitiness that you have in a warm vintage. It's something that makes you salivate; there a sort of saltiness.' As far as that sharp edge, it's fine for Vervier; 'sometimes bitterness can frighten people, but it's really useful for the wines.'
As for one year being better than another based on too much heat, a phenomenon only recently occurring in Champagne, Verview comments; 'the best Champagnes are a combination of everything: the weather conditions, the location; it's very complex.'
Here are my notes on the Champagne Palmer cuvées I recently tasted in Chicago:
La Réserve (non-vintage): Light yeastiness on the nose; lemon essence perfumes; very well balanced with notable persistence. An impressive cuvée that is an ideal way to start a meal. Enjoy over the next four to six years. (92)
La Réserve Nature (non-vintage) - A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, this is similar to the wine above, except for the fact that this wine has zero dosage. This is quite dry and has a distinct note of minerality; there are lemon and candied fruit notes. This is among the finest non-vintage Champagnes available today. This will drink well over the next six to seven years. (94)
Blanc de Blancs 2018 - 100% Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims. Lemon pulp aromas with a delicate nuttiness in the finish. Medium-full, this is quite elegant with very good acidity and impressive complexity; enjoy over the next five to seven years. (92)
Rosé Solera (non-vintage) - Here is a unique Rosé Champagne, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier that uses eight percent of solera Pinot Noir started 40 years ago kept in stainless steel tanks as a perpetual reserve Champagne. Quite ripe, with flavors of red currant and strawberry, this displays impressive complexity; pair with steak or many red meats; enjoy over the next five to seven years. (91)
Grand Terroirs 2015 - A blend of Chardonnay (50%), Pinot Noir (38%) and Meunier (12%), this is an harmonious, complex Champagne that beautifully displays the house style of Champagne Palmer. Medium-full, with aromas of orange peel and yeast, this can stand up to roast veal or filet mignon equally well; enjoy over the next seven to ten years. (93)Older Vintage bottles (vintage 1996) stored "Sur pointe" in the cellars of Champagne Palmer
1997 Vintage Collection – Along with their current releases, Champagne Palmer also has older cuvées in their cellars, including such renowned recent vintages such as 1976, 1979, 1985 and 1989. I tasted the 1997, a blend of Chardonnay (53%), Pinot Noir (24%) and Meunier (23%)
Deep golden yellow; aromas of bread, dried pear, hazelnut and dried orange peel. Medium-full, with impressive richness, good acidity, impressive persistence and a powerful finish, with notes of stone fruit; there is a distinct minerality that completes the experience of this wine. How well you will enjoy this wine depends on your tastes – do you prefer younger Champagnes a year or two after release, or are seduced by older cuvées that are powerful and have a sensation of dried apples and baked bread? Regardless, this is a special wine that still have excellent character and freshness after 18 years, pair with veal roast or lobster roll. (94)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
The Taste Of Climate In Every Sip: Champagne Problems
Green-skinned Chardonnay grapes are pictured in the vineyard of the Champagne house Pommery-Vranken ... More during grape harvest in Reims. (Photo by FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP via Getty Images) Heavy monsoon rains in Hyderabad, Sindh province on July 20, 2025. (Photo by Akram SHAHID / AFP via ... More Getty Images) The most intense growing months of many of the world's vineyards are upon us. With harvests a few short weeks away, growers and winemakers are guiding their crops through the delicate and sometimes torturous dance of rain and sunlight, baking hot days and hoped-for cool dewy nights. This, even as raging floods, fires, hail storms, and searing droughts threaten and strike with greater frequency. The state of rising global temperatures and how nations should be held to account for acute and deadly climate disruptions is at the heart of a new report from the International Court of those businesses vying for a place at the tables of consumers around the world, it is a battle fought on the soil, well before it is fought in the marketplace. Drinks giant Moët Hennessy is confronting the struggle globally. And one of its most deliberate transitions to twenty-first century climate sensitive farming strategies is well underway in its Champagne business, whose vineyards are less than an hour's train away from the company's home offices. Weather vs Cultivation: Who's Winning? Sandrine Sommer, Moët Hennessy, Chief Sustainability Officer. Sandrine Sommer is the company's chief sustainability officer. 'We are already facing the necessity of adapting to climate change in every vineyard we manage,' she told me in Paris recently. 'Experiencing a range of extreme weather events – from droughts and floods to wildfires, hail, and frost – we are not spared from these challenges anywhere in the world. Earlier harvests are increasingly common, yield loss is more frequent, and we observe changes in grape acidity and sugar levels.' At Columbia University's Lamont- Doherty Earth Observatory, climate scientist Benjamin Cook sees grape cultivation, in general, as one of the best documented examples of the inextricable connection between climate, terroir and flavor. He co-authored a 2020 paper on the topic in a National Academy of Sciences peer-reviewed journal. The study articulates a now widely held belief that diversification in the strains of grapes that vineyards cultivate will be decisive as the planet continues to change. The Monoculture Of Champagne Vineyards Viticulturists agree monoculture aggravates climate and ecological distress. You only need to recall the 'Dust Bowl' years when 'king cotton' helped plunge the United States into years of agricultural and economic chaos. Given the history, the rolling hillsides of France's Champagne region, though tidy and harmonious, are this side of shocking to today's newest generation of soil guardians and sustainability. 'You look and it's a sea of wine grapes and there's nothing else. There's no biodiversity,' observed Caine Thompson, head of sustainability for O'Neill Vintner & Distillers, and managing director of Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles, California. TOPSHOT - Grape pickers work at a vineyard of the Champagne region during a harvest, in Hautvillers, ... More on September 19, 2024. (Photo by FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP) A champion of regenerative agricultural practices and a leader for the movement in his own region of California, Thompson travelled to Champagne recently to study the efforts of MH Champagne makers to reintroduce environmental balance. He says he's encouraged by what he calls a 'poly-cultural' movement afoot at the Ruinart Champagne House in Reims. 'They're practicing agro-forestry, incorporating native plant species back into the vineyards. It was amazing to see the recently introduced native grasses, oaks, fruit trees, and more.' Rounding out the environment with growth that is more natural makes an eco-system more abundant with life of all kinds, above, below, and within the soil, and as a result more resilient. Competitors are elbow to elbow in the Champagne region, among them Laurent-Perrier, Taittinger, Perrier-Jouët, Mumm, Louis Roederer, and more. This appellation is the birthplace of Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Dom Pérignon, and Ruinart, the oldest established Champagne house, whose chalk cellars are part of the region's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ruinart will mark its 300th anniversary in 2029. Ruinart Champagne and Cheese. (Photo by Jose R. Aguirre/Cover/Getty Images) The evidence of both care in the fields and the impact of climate is in the bottle, Ruinart winemaker Diane de Chevron Villette explained as she walked me through tastes of a couple of different vintages there. The product is held to very strict standards. To carry the unique title of 'champagne,' the specifications of the Champagne appellation do not permit the irrigation of vines. This is based on the realities of the unique terroir. Champagne is located in the north, which ordinarily provides sufficient rainfall throughout the year, although climate change is now presenting challenging conditions. As an offset, the composition of the region's soil helps: the ancient chalky soil of the region both retains and releases water efficiently. Still, as a result of ever-changing conditions, the winemaker says, every year produces a unique product, reflecting the variability of rain and sunshine in any given year. In 2023, Ruinart launched Blanc Singulier. This champagne, says Sommer, 'showcases the effects of climate change on Ruinart's 'Blanc de Blancs' Champagne.' URVILLE, FRANCE - OCTOBER 2: A road sign indicates the Champagne Tourist Route and that the village ... More is part of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) (Photo by) The competition is intense among the big Champagne houses and volume sales since the pandemic ended have been off in general. Adrien Franceschi, MH global corporate projects manager, says changes in alcohol consumption habits appear to have something to do with it. 'Champagne shipments reached 271 million bottles in 2024, marking a 9.2% decline compared to 2023. Overall, industry data shows that, in the first half of 2024, global sales of all alcoholic drinks fell by 11% year-over-year.' The picture does appear to be brightening somewhat for champagne, according to drinks newsletter Shanken News Daily. The industry publication is reporting that U.S. wine and spirits wholesaler data shows champagne sales up, in general, for the first time in three years for the first half of 2025, across the industry. Although it's not clear if this means a renewed enthusiasm for the product or accelerated buying to hedge potential tariffs and higher prices. Do Consumers Care? At the end of the day, consumer expectations and preferences shape the marketplace, and at Moët Hennessy, Sommer believes that is trending in a positive way for the environment. 'Consumers worldwide are increasingly conscious and curious about the origins and manufacturing processes of products, including wines and spirits. They are aware that our products are crafted from specific terroirs, using unique savoir-faire.' In 2022, despite the acute travel limitations of the Covid pandemic, scientists, industry representatives and journalists travelled hundreds of miles for the 'World Living Soils Forum' in Provence, organized and led by Moët Hennessy. The forum focused a hot light on the regenerative agriculture movement, inspiring new conversations and deep thinking about the future of the world's soils and new practices of French Moet & Chandon champagne are displayed for sale at a Costco Wholesale warehouse in ... More Hawthorne, California, (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) Ultimately, every bottle of champagne, every sip of wine, every glass of spirits holds someone's work of art and, like all art, the verdict is the prerogative of the consumer. 'While we may lack comprehensive global data on consumer expectations regarding regenerative practices,' says Sommer, 'we believe it is important, and our responsibility, to educate and raise awareness about living soils.'
Forbes
6 days ago
- Forbes
Champagne Palmer Offers Underrated Pleasures
Vineyards of Champagne Palmer, Verzenay, Montagne de Reims So many Champagnes, so little time … Chances are there are many Champagne houses you've never heard of. This is true everywhere, be in Napa Valley, Tuscany, Burgundy or several other famous wine regions. There are only so many producers in any particular region that receive sufficient attention; perhaps they're more famous, or have more money to spend, but whatever the reasons, many excellent wine producers the world over are consistently underrated. You can easily put Champagne Palmer, located in Reims, one of the region's most famous cities, on a list of under appreciated producers. Founded in 1947 by seven growers with vineyards in the Montage de Reims area of Champagne, today the company is a cooperative with more than 200 members who farm more than 500 acres in several parts of Champagne, including the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims. Rémi Vervier, Managing Director and Oenologist at Champagne Palmer I recently met with Rémi Vervier, Managing Director at Champagne Palmer, and tasted out several new releases as well as one older vintage Champagne. Beginning with their non-vintage La Réserve, a blend of Chardonnay (50%), Pinot Noir (35%) and Meunier (15%), and continuing through the 2015 Grand Terroirs, he spoke about this last cuvée and the philosophy of the founders of Champagne Palmer in general. 'The first Champagne the founders produced was in that spirit,' he remarked. 'It's a combination of Chardonnay, even if all of the Chardonnay comes from the Montagne de Reims (unusual for the Champagne region), so it's very fresh, it's more Pinot-Noir oriented, and only Premier Cru and Grand Cru from the Montagne de Reims.' For Vervier 2015 was, ' an interesting vintage, a warm vintage, with very fruity expression. 'But a very fragile expression of the vineyard which looks to the north. It conserves the freshness, the liveliness of the wine. Even in a warm year like 2015, you still have this freshness, the elegant bitterness that sustains the fruitiness that you have in a warm vintage. It's something that makes you salivate; there a sort of saltiness.' As far as that sharp edge, it's fine for Vervier; 'sometimes bitterness can frighten people, but it's really useful for the wines.' As for one year being better than another based on too much heat, a phenomenon only recently occurring in Champagne, Verview comments; 'the best Champagnes are a combination of everything: the weather conditions, the location; it's very complex.' Here are my notes on the Champagne Palmer cuvées I recently tasted in Chicago: La Réserve (non-vintage): Light yeastiness on the nose; lemon essence perfumes; very well balanced with notable persistence. An impressive cuvée that is an ideal way to start a meal. Enjoy over the next four to six years. (92) La Réserve Nature (non-vintage) - A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, this is similar to the wine above, except for the fact that this wine has zero dosage. This is quite dry and has a distinct note of minerality; there are lemon and candied fruit notes. This is among the finest non-vintage Champagnes available today. This will drink well over the next six to seven years. (94) Blanc de Blancs 2018 - 100% Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims. Lemon pulp aromas with a delicate nuttiness in the finish. Medium-full, this is quite elegant with very good acidity and impressive complexity; enjoy over the next five to seven years. (92) Rosé Solera (non-vintage) - Here is a unique Rosé Champagne, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier that uses eight percent of solera Pinot Noir started 40 years ago kept in stainless steel tanks as a perpetual reserve Champagne. Quite ripe, with flavors of red currant and strawberry, this displays impressive complexity; pair with steak or many red meats; enjoy over the next five to seven years. (91) Grand Terroirs 2015 - A blend of Chardonnay (50%), Pinot Noir (38%) and Meunier (12%), this is an harmonious, complex Champagne that beautifully displays the house style of Champagne Palmer. Medium-full, with aromas of orange peel and yeast, this can stand up to roast veal or filet mignon equally well; enjoy over the next seven to ten years. (93)Older Vintage bottles (vintage 1996) stored "Sur pointe" in the cellars of Champagne Palmer 1997 Vintage Collection – Along with their current releases, Champagne Palmer also has older cuvées in their cellars, including such renowned recent vintages such as 1976, 1979, 1985 and 1989. I tasted the 1997, a blend of Chardonnay (53%), Pinot Noir (24%) and Meunier (23%) Deep golden yellow; aromas of bread, dried pear, hazelnut and dried orange peel. Medium-full, with impressive richness, good acidity, impressive persistence and a powerful finish, with notes of stone fruit; there is a distinct minerality that completes the experience of this wine. How well you will enjoy this wine depends on your tastes – do you prefer younger Champagnes a year or two after release, or are seduced by older cuvées that are powerful and have a sensation of dried apples and baked bread? Regardless, this is a special wine that still have excellent character and freshness after 18 years, pair with veal roast or lobster roll. (94)
New York Post
20-07-2025
- New York Post
Lucy Guo's advice to other billionaires: 'Act broke, stay rich'
Tech entrepreneur Lucy Guo, 30, recently dethroned Taylor Swift as the youngest self-made female billionaire on the planet. But don't expect her to be popping Champagne bottles. 'I feel like the title changes every year,' Guo told The Post about the Forbes magazine ranking. 'It means almost nothing to me personally.' Guo's billion-dollar bounty comes from Scale AI, the artificial intelligence data-labeling startup she launched in 2016 with Alexandr Wang, when she was just 21. She left two years later but held onto an estimated 5% stake — a small slice that turned into a massive windfall this April when insider shares valued Scale AI at $25 billion, making Guo's cut worth an estimated $1.2 billion. 11 Tech entrepreneur Lucy Guo, 30, recently dethroned Taylor Swift as the youngest self-made female billionaire on the planet. Margot Judge for NY Post So, yeah. She's officially a billionaire, but doesn't feel like one. Guo's motto? 'Act broke, stay rich.' The coder-turned-founder still clocks 90-hour workweeks with a schedule that starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends at midnight — including up to four Barry's Bootcamp classes a day. Guo credits her 'no sleep' DNA to her parents, Chinese immigrants who worked as engineers in the San Francisco Bay area. 11 Guo made the cover of Forbes in April. Her billion-dollar bounty comes from Scale AI, the AI data-labeling startup she launched in 2016 with Alexandr Wang, when she was just 21. guofortit/Instagram The fast-talking tech trailblazer doesn't believe in wasting time. 'I don't watch TV or scroll TikTok,' Guo admitted. 'So that gives me many extra hours in a day. I'm constantly on the go, whereas a lot of people build in relaxation time. I do fill in my schedule with fun stuff, like at 10 p.m. maybe I'll go get dinner with friends.' While she may not splurge on Bentleys or Birkins, Guo has no shortage of interests — including Barry's, EDM music festivals, skateboarding, skydiving, collecting Pokémon plushies and building startups from scratch. Her latest professional passion project is Passes, the creator-driven platform she founded in 2022 that's already generating six-figure incomes for influencers, YouTubers, podcasters, astrologers and even golfers. 11 The Post previously photographed Guo at home in 2022. Sonya Revell for The New York Po 'Passes is a full-stack business platform for creators,' Guo explained. 'They can sell merch, subscriptions, unreleased YouTube videos, live streams and group chats to their superfans all in one place.' The idea for Passes came to her during the pandemic while running a start-up incubator. Guo saw creators like Logan Paul and Kylie Jenner building nine-figure brands and realized the real power lay in ownership. 'Creators are very unique. They can sell anything, and they don't have the typical customer acquisition costs that normal people have,' she said. 'They are these small businesses that can become larger businesses, but they've been mismanaged. No one was helping them get equity or build generational wealth.' 11 Among her extracurricular passions — learning to DJ. guofortit/Instagram With Passes, Guo aims to fix that. She's introduced a suite of tools to help creators monetize their brands, from in-house design to AI. Most significantly, creators keep 90% of their profits. 'We've become 80% to 100% of the creator's income,' Guo said with obvious pride. 'Even creators who have millions of followers on other platforms tell us that we are the most consistent income they have, and the majority of their income as well.' Unlike Instagram or TikTok, Passes is focused on the relationship between creators and their superfans, with monetization baked in. 'Instagram builds for breadth,' Guo said. 'Passes builds for depth. We're more like Patreon.' Still, comparisons to another platform, OnlyFans, persist. She insist's that not accurate. 11 Guo posted a photo with Bill Gates on her Instagram, joking, 'One of my guilty pleasures is being the dumbest person in the room.' guofortit/Instagram 'Our feature set is vastly different from OF. And even if you're not doing nudes on OF, the type of creator we attract would never go on OF because they don't want that as part of their brand.' The digital disruptor also points out that Passes has a no-nudity policy and stricter guidelines than OF. Nevertheless, there's been some controversy at Passes. A class-action lawsuit this year alleged underage content slipped through the cracks — claims Guo calls 'a shakedown.' 'We filed a motion to dismiss,' she said, denying the allegations. 'Their claims don't match the investigation that we found. Bad actors are always going to be bad actors, and we just do our best to try to prevent this.' 11 Guo is also an avid skateboarder. Sonya Revell for The New York Po Passes currently has around 50 employees, thousands of creators and millions of subscribers. The biggest moneymakers include golfer Charley Hull, YouTuber Sssniper Wolf and a surprising niche: astrologers who sell daily horoscopes. 'Our creators are doing amazing things,' Guo said. 'And we're just getting started.' Her career has always been ahead of the curve. She began coding in second grade, studied computer science and HCI at Carnegie Mellon — and then dropped out after earning a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship. The California native interned at Facebook, became the first female designer at Snapchat and met her Scale AI cofounder, Wang, at Quora. The rest is billion-dollar history. But despite her self-made status, Guo is still sometimes underestimated. 11 She founded the platform Passes — which occupies a 25,000-square-foot office in Los Angeles. Margot Judge for NY Post 'People don't understand how much work it takes to get here,' she said. 'They see the headlines, but they don't see the 18-hour days.' And the billionaire has had her fair share of headlines, including the time she hosted a wild rager at her $6.1 million luxury apartment in Miami, replete with a lemur and snake. The party did not win over her neighbors like David Beckham, and she was reprimanded by the building's HOA. Soon after, Guo moved back to the West Coast, and bought a $4.2 million, five-bedroom mansion in Los Angeles that boasts a dipping pool and screening room. Being in LA also allows her to personally interact with creators in Passes' 25,000-square-foot state-of-the-art office. 'They come to our office to shoot content and record podcasts,' she said. 'It's a relationship-driven business. We're even building a music studio.' Guo's love of music, especially EDM, runs deep. Her obsession began at age 20, when she saw Major Lazer at Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. 'When I was living in San Francisco, I was not as happy as a person,' she admitted. 'But I was blown away by my first EDM experience. I think it's been proven that EDM makes you happier based off the BPM. It's all very positive, happy energy.' 11 The billionaire has had her fair share of headlines, including the time she hosted a wild rager at her then-home in Miami, replete with a lemur (pictured) and a snake. Guo's now learning to DJ and often hops behind the decks when friends perform: 'I played for 30 minutes at a club in LA recently and people were like, 'That set was so good!'' She always keeps a music-filled USB in her bag, and will fly to a music festival on a minute's notice, especially for her favorite DJs like Layton Giordani, Kygo, Gryffin, Mau P. and Zedd. Already this summer, she hit Europe for a month of VIP access at various music festivals. Guo also attended the A-list launch of the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection in Barcelona, alongside Tom Brady, Sofía Vergara and Naomi Campbell. She's next planning to visit Kenya and witness firsthand the great migration of wildlife across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. 11 Guo collects Pokémon plushies. guofortit/Instagram 'I pick destinations based on views or mountains,' she said. 'If it has a Barry's Bootcamp, even better.' Guo is also a low-key Swiftie — though she jokes that beating Taylor Swift on the billionaire list hasn't changed things much for her. 'The only difference is my DMs are popping,' she said. 'Lots of celebrities trying to hang out. But now I'm more cautious. Do they think I'm hot? Do they want advice? Or are they just hoping for a PJ ride? It's made me put up my guard more.' 11 'I've been on all sides — engineer, VC, founder — but what excites me the most is product,' Guo said. Margot Judge for NY Post Guo was even mistakenly linked to Orlando Bloom in a tabloid because they were spotted next to each other at a party. 'I turned around and glanced at a wall, and the paparazzi snapped a photo,' she said, laughing. 'I'm definitely not dating Orlando Bloom.' The 30-year-old insists she doesn't have time to date, in fact. 'I've been on all sides — engineer, VC, founder — but what excites me the most is product,' she said. 'Figuring out the next feature, building tools people actually use, helping creators go big. That's what I love.' Just don't expect Guo to slow down anytime soon. 'I have too much energy to burn.'
