Alter Ego de Palmer 2014

Remarkably fresh, crisp and juicy, with noticeable acidity.

This has a lively feel, with light bramble, bay and wet pebble notes scattered around the core of cassis and black cherry fruit. Everything knits well through the finish. Needs just a touch of cellaring to round into form. Best from 2018 through 2026.

Beautiful perfume and polished flavours. Velvety-smooth, delicate tannins and a hidden depth that will build in barrel while retaining freshness, length and purity.

Aromas of spices and earth with mushrooms. Dark fruit. Full-bodied, dense and rich with earth and spices. A beauty. Soft and juicy. Savory yet exotic. From biodynamically grown grapes. First year. Drink or hold.

The 2014 Alter Ego is dark, inviting and impeccably balanced. Black cherry, plum, espresso, spice and new leather meld together in a sumptuous, midweight wine. The relatively high %age of Petit Verdot results in a somewhat somber, very serious second wine that carries a feeling of gravitas. The 2014 is 52 % Merlot, 32 % Cabernet Sauvignon and 13 % Petit Verdot.

The 2014 Alter Ego De Palmer checks in as a blend of 52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot. It offers classic notes of ripe black cherries, licorice, leafy herbs and chocolate in a medium-bodied, rounded, mouthfilling style. It has bright acidity and present tannins and will keep for 15+ years.

Deep purple, dense at the core, with a garnet sheen at the rim. A dreamy bouquet: floral notes, but also a great aromatic expression, with medium intensity. On the palate, rather lean, with fine muscle, tobacco and mulberries, and a spicy finish. Early-drinking pleasure, at a price that isn’t exactly restaurant-friendly.

(52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 33 hl/ha) Floral, vegetal, sweet bouquet, redcurrants, raspberries, white pepper, green herbs. Medium-bodied, austere palate with sandy tannins, medium aromatic intensity, light fruit, austere structure, and a dry finish. 16/20 2019 - 2029

Generous in texture, dense and fairly long, but it became a bit heavier toward the end of its ageing.

Delicate, full-bodied and very silky on the palate, with lovely chewiness and plenty of volume.

First vintage in biodynamic farming and vinified without sulfur. Sulfur is added before malolactic fermentation. Smoky nose, blackberry and a hint of greenness. The wine is dense, fairly tightly knit, with medium length. 52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot. 33 hl/ha. 45% of the production.

Ruby red with garnet highlights. A lovely fruit intensity, with plenty of red fruit and freshness. This freshness is also evident right from the attack. The wine is juicy and lively. The tannins reveal themselves slowly but struggle to match the acidic structure. This gives good aromatic intensity to the mid-palate and the finish. The tannins manage to find their place and create a fine symbiosis with the structure. A wine to follow, deserving of further development.

Logo on the cork: DF Deep color, with good intensity and slightly developed. Aromatic nose, with ripe fruit. As is often the case, the palate opens gently with a caressing texture and good body. However, my score has never been this high thanks to the very fine expression noted on the finish. Very good.

This second wine of Château Palmer is dense and structured. With ripe swathes of black fruits and juicy Merlot showing strongly, it already displays the potential of the vintage. Generous and ripe, the wine has a fine level of perfumed tannin. Drink from 2023.

Medium to deep garnet-brick in color, the 2014 Alter Ego opens a little broody, with tiring notes of tobacco, fried herbs, and leather giving way to a core of dried cherries and preserved plums plus a touch of pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate is a little thin and chewy, with soft-spoken flavors and a grippy finish. Tasted blind with the Southwold Group in London in February 2024.