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Olivier Poussier
"when wine and food are in total harmony..."

"When matching wine and food, both must be in total harmony - one must never dominate the other," declares Olivier Poussier, 2000 Meilleur Sommelier du Monde (World Champion Wine Waiter).  To find the best possible combination, you must take into account all aspects of a dish: its consistency, texture, sauce, and the side dish served with it. The wine's unique structure, strength, density, volume, and aftertaste must also be considered."

This general philosophy nevertheless calls for a bit of nuance when it comes to matching flavours and textures : "There are some very successful wine and food matches when both are quite different. Take joue de b�uf (beef cheek) for instance. This dish is often served with a thick, very reduced wine sauce. This calls for strong wines with dense tannin."

Such a balance is fairly classic and not really surprising. However, Olivier Poussier has some more interesting ideas on contrasts, "This depends on the importance of the sauce and the side dish. A medium-strong wine is a perfectly adequate partner for meat served in its cooking juices. However, the same meat served with a reduced sauce flavoured with truffles deserves a wine that is more concentrated - but not necessarily more powerful.

The wines of Ch�teau Palmer offer an infinity of possibilities: contrast, harmony, balanced textures, paired flavours, etc. According to Olivier Poussier, "Palmer owes this privilege to its superb track record and regularity. Every year reflects not only vintage character, but also Palmer's terroir."

Olivier Poussier describes his favourite vintages, "1967 Ch�teau Palmer is simply sublime. This is a big wine, but with truly beautiful balance. It may not have the power of the 66, but it is superb. The 67 Palmer is still in incredible shape. It is perfect with panfried ceps with chicken stock." Carried away by his memory of great wines, Olivier Poussier lists some of the vintages he has enjoyed the most, "Palmer 61: the most divine... a fresh, huge, powerful wine which seems to defy aeration. I also immensely enjoyed the 82, 85, and 90. The 2000 is a dream: silky, velvety, and polished."

Might "freshness" be the best way to describe Palmer in a nutshell? Olivier Poussier replies, "Ch�teau Palmer is a wine with extraordinary ageing potential. Its elegance and richness keep it fresh for many years. In keeping with a great Bordeaux tradition, it is ripe and fresh, without any jammy characteristics."