2019 ALTER EGO du Château Palmer Margaux Château Palmer, Lea & Sandeman

ALTER EGO

2023 du Château Palmer Margaux

Grapes Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cab Sauv
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Margaux
ABV 14%

Vivid ruby plum colour, great depth of flavour, balancing spiced plum, fennel, rosemary and anis with juicy blackberry and damson fruit, all delivered with a caress of floral aromatics and well-paced momentum. The August and early September heat waves meant lost yield but higher concentration, and this is a structured Alter Ego that stretches out through the palate, with a kick on the finish. September 11 harvest through to October 5, 25% new oak for ageing. Drinking range: 2028 - 2038 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)


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The 2023 Alter Ego is plump, juicy and super-expressive. Soft, silky tannins enshroud a core of plum, red cherry, spice, menthol and mocha. All the elements are so nicely balanced. A burst of red-toned fruit and spice lingers on a finish lifted by bright acids. This is such a sensual Alter Ego. Drinking range: 2028 - 2043 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

This takes one-third of the crop, and the blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, very similar to the grand vin, from the usual Alter Ego vineyards, which have lighter soils. Beautifully pure, dark yet fresh and expressive aromatics, with violets, blackcurrants, blackberries and liquorice, but it is that dark floral perfume which dominates. It is very Palmer in style, but also very Margaux. The palate seduces with beautiful texture, dark fruits, fresh floral nuances. The structure is very fine, deeply buried in the wine, with a lovely tense grip which only shows right at the finish, supported by fresh acidity. Great vivacity and build, wonderful freshness, and great length too. This is a superb Alter Ego; pour this blind and you might not be sure whether you were drinking Alter Ego or the grand vin. The alcohol is 13.9%. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

Wafting from the glass with pure aromas of cherries, berries, plums and potpourri, the 2023 Alter Ego de Palmer is medium to full-bodied, bright and vibrant, with a vigorous core of fruit framed by supple tannins. It's a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Rating: 92-94 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)

Château Palmer

Margaux Troisième cru 1855 What is now Château Palmer was originally part of a larger Château d'Issan but was divided among heirs and came into the ownership of the Gascq family in 1748. The widow of the last of the Gascqs, in 1814, and apparently having met him on a stagecoach, sold the estate to an Englishman, General Charles Palmer, and Château de Gascq became Château Palmer. He extended the estate and built quite a reputation for his wines (especially in London) but financial difficulties forced him to sell up in 1843 and, by the time of the 1855 classification, the reputation of Château Palmer had slipped sufficiently to rate "only" 3rd Growth status - a status it has exceded for most of its subsequent history. The present château was built at the end of the 1850's. In 1938 the Société Civile de Château Palmer was formed to take ownership of the estate, with the Sichel and Mähler-Besse families as leading shareholders, a situation which persists to this day. Château Palmer sits between Margaux and Cantenac, just east of Issan. The 55ha of vines are planted to 47% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with the balance being Petit Verdot. The Grand Vin spends 21 months in wood (45% new). The second wine is Alter Ego de Château Palmer. In the best years of General Palmer's reign, the wines of Château Palmer were regarded on a par with those of Château Margaux and, indeed, during the worst years of the 1960's Palmer probably had a better reputation. Today, despite huge improvements by its neighbours, Palmer sits very squarely as the leading Margaux estate that isn't actually Château Margaux.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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