Alter Ego de Palmer 2021

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.

Offers a good, albeit light-bodied, core of black cherry compote, while black tea, anise and violet notes hang in the background. The finish is relatively gentle, with just a wisp of cedary grain. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2026. 6,000 cases made.

Quite a rich, dark, heady nose, full of blackcurrants, bramble leaf, raspberry and some dried herbs, with floral touches too. Smooth and supple, you can feel the concentration on the palate but the texture is so silky and fresh as well. Bursting with energy and brightness – the fruit has a ripe edge to it – plummy and blackcurrant, but the acidity is excellent, giving a truly lean and direct frame to the wine and driving it from start to finish. Polished and very enjoyable, still with lots of flavour. A real cool element to the dark fruit – it’s not rich, chewy, exuberant or plush; it’s streamlined yet full of juicy brightness, then a slick wet‑slate touch on the finish. Perfumed all the way through with hints of cola, blueberry and liquorice. Serious and layered. A successful second wine to match the gorgeous grand vin.

This bright wine shows very pretty fruit, with al dente blackcurrants as well as mineral notes and clove-like spices. Medium-bodied, crunchy and mineral. Vivid, with some iodine too. Drinkable already but better in a couple of years.

The 2021 Alter Ego, which contains slightly more Cabernet than usual and was bottled in late July, has shown a bit more composure on the nose since it was tasted from barrel: black fruit, hints of melted tar and that background scent of shucked oyster shell. The palate is medium-bodied with a juicy opening, yet there is backbone and a mineral-driven finish behind this Alter Ego. Impressive in terms of persistence—don’t hesitate to tuck this away in your cellar for three or four years.

Deep dark opaque ruby core, purple hues towards the rim. Fine herbal savouriness, dark berry fruit, ripe plums, a hint of cassis, a touch of fresh coriander. Juicy, elegant, ripe black cherry fruit, fine tannins, blackberries and nougat, mineral, due to the vintage with an unusually high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (32% Merlot, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 22 hl/ha) Mineral, fresh bouquet with cassis, strawberry jelly, mint, flint. Dense, elegant, fresh palate with a dense, silky texture, fresh, powerful fruit, fine tannins, intense, sweet aromatics, long, fresh finish. Has room to improve.

(32% Merlot, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 22 hl/ha) Mineral, fresh bouquet with cassis, strawberry jelly, mint, and flint. Dense, elegant, fresh palate with a tight, silky structure, fresh, powerful fruit, fine tannins, intense, sweet-tinged aromatics, and a long, fresh finish. Has room to improve. 17/20 2027 - 2040

This has a juicy, delicate structure, leaning into the Margaux character, floral and fragrant, with intensity and balanced minerality. Savoury and sappy, blueberries, mirabelle plum and grilled cassis, with waves of gunsmoke. A higher proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than usual gives it a more classical, less exuberant character than in many vintages. 25% new oak.

The sentence from Palmer’s Marketing team “

(60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot) The nose is fruity and offers juiciness, precision, and a certain sincerity. It reveals notes of fairly ripe/fleshy wild blackcurrant, crushed wild strawberry and, more subtly, crushed red berries and violet, combined with fine touches of cherry blossom and licorice, discreet hints of fresh small fruits, a subtle touch of minerality, and a sense of place. The palate is fruity and offers minerality, lovely precision, tension, straightness, a fine mineral/saline thread, and aromatic purity. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of juicy/fleshy blackcurrant and pulpy/fresh raspberry, and more lightly blackberry, combined with touches of fresh/juicy strawberry, lily, refined minerality, fine hints of star anise, almond, toast, and a discreet hint of chocolate (in the background). Good length. The tannins are precise, mellow, powdery. A very fine chew on the finish/persistence.

Beautiful deep, dark red. Very aromatic nose, fruity, fresh and slightly smoky. On the palate—oh my, it’s good! It’s like velvet—not matte, but gleaming. Impossible to spit out at 9 a.m. Lovely, very flavorful and fresh finish. Blend with an unprecedented proportion of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon (frost reduced the share of Merlot), 32% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13% - pH: 3.74. IPT: 69. Light chaptalization.

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.

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. Drink from 2027.