Alter Ego de Palmer 2nd Wine of Chateau Palmer Margaux 2019 750ml

Expert Reviews – Vintagee 2019

William Kelley of The Wine Advocate writes 91 Points | 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. Drinking 2021 – 2039.

Jeb Dunnuck writes 94 Points | The second wine of Chteau Palmer, the 2019 Alter Ego De Palmer is rock-solid and reveals a dense purple hue as well as deep, rich, concentrated aromas and flavors of ripe black cherries, blackcurrants, tobacco, graphite, and chocolate. It might be the richest, most concentrated second wine out here, and truthfully, it tastes like a Grand Vin. Medium to full-bodied, layered, and textured, it has ripe tannins, a fleshy, mouth-filling texture, and a great finish. It’s beautifully done.

Jane Anson writes 93 Points | 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.

James Suckling writes 96 Points | 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.

James Molesworth of The Wine Spectator writes 90 Points | Caressing, offering plum and cherry sauce flavors, hints of ganache and tobacco, with a sanguine hint on the fresh humus-tinged finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030.

Neal Martin of Vinous writes 94 Points | 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. Drinking 2028 -2055.

Jancis Robinson writes 17.5 Points | 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. Drinking 2027 – 2045.
Georgina Hindle of Decanter writes 95 Points | Gorgeous rich dark purple in the glass. Quite jammy and concentrated on the nose, heady and perfumed with a lovely delicate florality to it too. Great freshness on the palate, juicy but a dark blackcurrant and cherry fruit juice. Beautifully balanced with integrated tannins and oak. Well defined fruit, generous and quite abundant against softly grippy, velvety tannins that just give support to the overall frame. It’s serious but with a lightness of touch and playfulness – energetic and lively but still with depth. A great Alter Ego and confident winemaking on show. Drinking 2027 – 2043

Winemaker Notes

Spontaneity. That sudden desire to indulge without delay, Chteau Palmer wished to gratify. Thus, while remaining true to its philosophy, another expression of its terroir came to be. Since the 1998 vintage, a new approach to selection and blending has yielded this supple and rounded wine, distinguished by its freshness of fruit, crisp intensity and richnessfrom the moment out of barrel, it’s all thats natural, bottled.