Winemaker Notes
Alter Ego was launched with the 1998 vintage, driven by the idea of producing another facet to the estate. Spontaneous, round, generous, and silky, this 'other wine' is both intense and light, rich and delicate. It has the elegance and grain de tanin of its predecessor. Throughout its creation, Alter Ego is led by the same high standards that govern the composition of Château Palmer's great wine.
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Lush berry aromas and layers of wood give this second-label wine its rich character. It has black-pepper spice and solid tannins along with structured, opulent black fruits.
-
Vinous
Palmer's 2021 Alter Ego is fabulous. Dense and rich in the glass, with positively explosive energy, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. A rush of dark cherry, plum, spice, blood orange, menthol and licorice infuses the palate with tremendous intensity. Hints of rose petal and pomegranate appear later to round things out. The 2021 possesses tremendous textural richness that is evident from the very first taste. The aromatics alone are especially present today. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Decanter
Cigar box, tobacco, cedar and cinnamon - really gorgeous savoury tones with smoked earth and dark chocolate mingling with the black fruits. High acid, touching on sharp and slightly sherbety but there is a lovely chew to the fruits, mouthfilling, mouthwatering and appealing with the freshness from the higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Smooth and delicate with a layer of seduction in the richness of the fruit and the overall depth. Wide flavours in the mouth, expansive and open with bright strawberry and red cherry juice at the end, so sweet and succulent and moreish. Not so exuberant but full of easy enjoyment, a successful second wine in 2021.
Barrel Sample: 93 -
James Suckling
This bright wine has very pretty fruit, with al dente blackcurrants as well as minerals and clove-like spices. Medium body, crunchy and minerally. Vivid with some iodine too. Drinkable already but better in a couple of years.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Château Palmer Alter Ego is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that was aged 12 months in barrel followed by 12 months in foudre. It's another smoking good second wine from this château that has a deep ruby/purple hue to go with perfumed red, blue, and black fruits as well as an incredibly floral character in its leafy herb and graphite aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, supple, elegant, and silky on the palate, it's an impressive Margaux to drink over the coming 15 years.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bursting with aromas of blackberries, mint, violets and pencil shavings, the 2021 Alter Ego de Palmer is medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with impressive density and ripeness for the vintage, its deep core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannin. Like the grand vin, it's a very strong effort this year.
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.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.