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Alter Ego de Palmer 2019

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

This is the second wine of Chateau Palmer. It is always very smooth and supple thanks to a high proportion of Merlot in the blend.

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Label

Tasting Notes

The 2019 Alter Ego de Palmer is delineated and focused on the nose with blackberry, cedar and graphite scents. More austere yet still complex and one with the most cerebral Margaux aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, quite saline and peppery, firm and insistent grip with quiet assertive tannins on the finish. A Margaux that should be given a long-term lease in your cellar. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drink 2028-2055.

94
Neal Martin, vinous.com (Southwold), February 2023

Intense aromas of blackcurrants, cedar and ripe tobacco with hints of violets, following through to a full-bodied palate with extremely refined tannins that are well-integrated into the wine and are long and subtle at the finish. Such precision and harmony with structure. From biodynamically grown grapes. Best after 2023.

96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, December 2021

Aromas of sweet cherries, raspberries, berry fruit liqueur, licorice and spices introduce the 2019 Alter Ego de Palmer, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping wine with lively acids, melting tannins and a lavish core of ripe, creamy fruit. It's more immediate than the more muscular, powerful grand vin. Drink 2021-2039.

91
William Kelley, RobertParker.com (April 2022), April 2022

The 2019 Alter Ego from Palmer is deep garnet-purple in color. It has a profound nose of crème de cassis, plum preserves, tar, and star anise, followed by hints of wild sage, cedar chest, and graphite. The medium-bodied palate reveals finely grained tannins and compelling freshness to match the intense, nuanced fruit layers, finishing long and vibrant.

94
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2023

Enveloping aromatics, velvety and welcoming. This has fine spice and is full of momentum and clarity. Supple tannins supporting layers of damson fruits, holding on tight through the mid palate with anise and black pepper then softening into gourmet brioche, espresso and cigar box notes. 45hl/h yield, 45% of overall production. Great to see this wine again, after no Alter Ego was produced in 2018.

93
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, January 2022

Tasted blind. Savoury intensity on the nose. Rich and captivating. Still young, but with a long way to go. Subtle and appetising, with youthful depths. A charmer. 14%
Drink 2027
– 2045

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2023

51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot. Barrel sample.
Vigorous, fresh and expressive – just so much life! Floral aroma with a savoury edge. Smooth attack then generous fruit across the palate, the texture silky and fine. Lifted and vivacious. Tannins so fine you almost forget them. Approachable but could surprise with age. (JL)
Drink 2025 – 2035

17+
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com, June 2020
Read more tasting notes...

The 2019 Alter Ego de Palmer has a classically styled bouquet featuring a mélange of red and black fruit, briar, hints of cedar, and a touch of black tea, all showing lovely delineation. The palate is fresh and vibrant, displaying a touch of sour cherry on the granular-textured opening. There is something very "old school" about this Alter Ego in contrast to the 2018. Very saline toward the finish, with good persistence. Drink 2025-2045.

93
Neal Martin, vinous.com, February 2022

The 2019 Alter Ego is a blend of 51% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it zips out of the glass with energetic scents of black and red cherries, boysenberries, and sassafras with suggestions of dried mint and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is lively, refreshing and delicately fruited with lots of savory layers and a spring in its step on the finish.

94
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2022

Cinnamon spice on the nose, with a patisserie edge to the fruits that gives a rich, creamy impression. As ever with the Palmer stable of wines, you can pick out the individual flavours clearly, with careful and precise delineation of cassis, bilberry, slate and tobacco notes, but overall this is an outstanding Alter Ego that puts the emphasis on pleasure. Tannins are extremely precise but feathery and pliable. An extremely low 37ppm of SO2 at this stage, in keeping with biodynamic principles and a desire to let the fruit speak. 3.62ph. 45hl/h yield, 45% of overall production in Alter Ego. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038

94
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, June 2020

We were unable to taste the 2019 before release due to the low sulphur levels of the wine in barrel prohibiting the delivery of samples abroad.

Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, June 2020
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.