Chateau Palmer - Alter Ego 2021

WEINWISSER: "60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 % Merlot, 8 % Petit Verdot, 22 hl/ha. Betörendes Bouquet, reife Brombeere, Schattenmorellensaft und heller Tabak, dahinter getrocknete Rosenblätter, zarte Graphitnoten und Holundergelee. Am satten Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, herrlicher Extraktfülle, stützender Rasse, engmaschigem Tanningerüst und mittlerem Körper. Im gebündelten Finale mit einer vollen Ladung Cassis, Flieder und fein sandiger Adstringenz. Info: Softe Extraktion, höhere Säure, aber in Balance. Besonderheit dieses Jahr: 1 Plot (= 40 hl/ha), der sonst in den Grand Vin fließt, wurde komplett für Alter Ego verwendet! Hat sicher zur Veredelung von Alter Ego beigetragen. Kann noch zulegen."

DECANTER: "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 in the mouth but the texture is so silky and fresh too. Bursting with energy and brightness - the fruit has a ripe touch to it - plummy and blackcurrant but the acidity is great giving a real 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 and chewy and exuberant and plush, it’s streamlined but full of juicy brightness and then a slick wet slate touch to the finish. Perfumed all the way through with cola, blueberry and liquorice touches as well. Serious and layered. A successful second wine to match the gorgeous grand vin."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This bright wine has very pretty fruit, with al dente blackcurrants as well as minerals and clove-like spices. Medium body, crunchy and minerally. Vivid with some iodine too. Drinkable already but better in a couple of years."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Crushed stones, flowers, red with black cherries and a marine influence sets the tone in the perfume. On the palate, the medium-bodied wine is soft, silky, and vibrant, making the perfect backdrop for all of the wines sweet, ripe plums, mint and spice notes in the refined finish. The wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot, making this the highest percentage of Cabernet ever used in any vintage of Alter Ego. Drink from 2025-2040."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

JEB DUNNUCK: "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."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Frisches Brombeerkonfit, schwarze Kirschen, Orangenzesten, feine Gewürzanklänge, etwas Nugat. Saftig, elegant, rote Kirschen, zarte Extraktsüße, frisch und delikat, rotbeeriger Touch, zitrionig-mineralisch im Abgang, ein lebendiger Speisenbegleiter."