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Wine Description
The Story
Palmer and its Alter Ego are two nuanced expressions of the Château Palmer terroir, two interpretations of the variations offered by the climatic conditions of the vintage. These variations can be likened, in music, to symphonic pieces and their jazz adaptations, in the visual arts, to a classic painting and a contemporary rendering of the same subject, and, in literature, to an epic narrative in alexandrine verse and a prose poem.
Alter Ego was born with the 1998 vintage. It resulted from a new approach to selecting and blending devised to interpret the Château Palmer terroir differently without departing from the values that make the reputation of our wines – namely, finesse and elegance, aromatic richness, harmony and length.
Offering intense, crispy and juicy fruits, Alter Ego is a spontaneous uninhibited wine, soft and round as soon as it has finished barrel ageing. Its lush aromas and supple tannins make it a wine that can be appreciated in the first years after bottling.
At the end of the summer, the slowly maturing berries are regularly tasted to evaluate their potential. We pay attention to the taste of the grape, the thickness of the skin, and the resistance of the seed. By this time we already have a sense of what the wines will be like. We are looking for lush grapes for Alter Ego that will release the aromas of fresh fruit. Harvesting and vinification decisions are made based on the idea that we have of the Château Palmer and Alter Ego style. Final blend tastings usually come to confirm our intuitions. The batches chosen for Alter Ego are then blended and put into barrels to age for 18 months. The fruitiness and aromatic intensity are preserved by the use of a moderate percentage of new oak barrels (25 to 40%).
Wine Information
After a mild and dry late winter season, budburst was delayed by a cold spell that set in from mid-March to late April. A very rainy month of May ended with a hail storm that hit the south of the Médoc, including a few Château Palmer plots, which added to the stress that the vine was undergoing. Flowering took place in June under particularly unfavorable conditions of cool, rainy weather, which caused widespread coulure.
The mildew pressure was constant this year.
The weather in July plays an essential role in the synthesis of phenolic compounds and it was a beautiful month, for the most part. Summer started off nicely from the very beginning, with a long period of relatively dry, beautiful weather lasting from June 20 to August 10. The less favorable period that followed and lasted until September 14 made us forget those weeks to a certain extent, all the more so because we had to fight off diseases.
The cold, wet conditions in August and early September gave way suddenly and unexpectedly to a very sunny dry spell, as a northern wind set in from September 14 on, drying out the pockets of botrytis.
We were able to wait for the late maturities to complement each other, with no major sanitary concerns. The nights were cool. This lent itself to a gentle, harmonious maturation, which brings out in turn a very elegant aromatic expressiveness. A miracle as only nature knows how to produce them!
The Merlots displayed unexpectedly high levels of concentration, with degrees between 13.5° and 14.5°. The sugar content of the Cabernets sauvignon grapes hovered as usual around 12° and 12.5°. But there again we found a nice concentration of phenolic compounds and perfectly ripe tannins. They are velvety and display beautiful volume on the palate.
Harvest dates: from 10/01/2008 to 10/17/2008
Blend
Merlot: 52%
Cabernet Sauvignon: 48%
Ageing potential
2013 - 2023
Tasting
coming soon
Press Review
www.erobertparker.com, Neal Martin, 01/20/2012
« Tasted ex-château and single blind in Southwold. The Alter Ego 2008 has a very sensual bouquet with crisp blackberry, black plum cedar and violet. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, good minerality with a focused finish with fine poise and sensuality. Excellent. Tasted January 2012. »
Sommeliers International, Gérard Basset et Philippe Faure-Brac, 01/31/2011
« Robe : Noir profond, reflets violets
Nez : Aromatique, cuir, épices, poivres rose, gris, blanc, typique de l'AOC.
Bouche : Belle attaque, tendre, suave, enrobée, harmonieuse
Accords mets et vins : Gibier; oie; tournedos Rossini
Commentaires : Très beau. De la haute couture
Service : 16-18°C
Garde : 10-12 ans »
Sommeliers International, Gérard Basset et Philippe Faure-Brac, 01/31/2011
« Visual aspect : a deep, black hue, purple tints
Nose : aromatic, hints of leather, spices and pink, grey and white peppercorns; typical aromas of this AOC.
Palate : Lovely first taste, supple and smooth, plump, well-balanced.
Match with food : Game, goose, tournedos Rossini
Comments : Magnificent. A designer wine.
Service : 16-18°C
Ageing : 10-12 ans »
La Revue du Vin de France n°548, Olivier Poels, 07/01/2010
« Toujours vinifié dans l\'esprit du grand vin, mais plus en rondeur, l\'Alter Ego 2008 ne déçoit pas.
C\'est un vin à la fois racé et profond, au nez de belles notes de fruits rouges confits et à la bouche qui combine un beau gras et des tanins souples. La belle finale se montre racée. »
www.erobertparker.com, Robert PARKER, 04/30/2009
« The second wine, the outstanding 2008 Alter Ego de Palmer, a blend of 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, is one of the finest examples of this cuvee I have tasted. Well-integrated wood smoke intermixed with notes of creme de cassis, earth, and forest floor are found in this opulent, deliciously fruity, round, and sensual effort. It should drink beautifully for 10-15 years »
www.erobertparker.com, Robert PARKER, 04/30/2009
« The second wine, the outstanding 2008 Alter Ego de Palmer, a blend of 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, is one of the finest examples of this cuvee I have tasted. Well-integrated wood smoke intermixed with notes of creme de cassis, earth, and forest floor are found in this opulent, deliciously fruity, round, and sensual effort. It should drink beautifully for 10-15 years »
Tribune de Genève, Alain Giroud, 04/17/2009
« Nez discret de petits fruits noirs, notes toastées, bouche fraîche, très structurée, jolis tanins, grande persistance, finale fruitée. »
Tribune de Genève, Alain GIROUD, 04/17/2009
« Nez discret de petits fruits noirs, notes toastées, bouche fraîche, très structurée, jolis tanins, grande persistance, finale fruitée. »
Le Point, Jacques Dupont, 04/01/2009
« Fruits noirs -"on essaie de faire nos choix assez tôt pour bien le travailler" -, petits tanins fins, ronds, suaves, finale relevée. »
Le Point, Jacques Dupont, 04/01/2009
« Fruits noirs -"on essaie de faire nos choix assez tôt pour bien le travailler" -, petits tanins fins, ronds, suaves, finale relevée. »
La lettre de Jean-Christophe, Jean-Christophe ESTEVE, 11/30/-0001
« Un nez de baies noires, frais et attirant, une texture en bouche charnue, de la rondeur et une finale fruitée. »
La lettre de Jean-Christophe, Jean-Christophe ESTEVE, 11/30/-0001
« Un nez de baies noires, frais et attirant, une texture en bouche charnue, de la rondeur et une finale fruitée. »
www.erobertparker.com, Neal Martin, 11/30/-0001
« Deep purple colour. The nose is reticent at first, takes some coaxing, ripe fleshy red fruit, a touch of damson, black cherry and blueberry. Nice definition but it remains tightly coiled. The palate is spicy, lovely prickle on the tongue, vibrant black fruits, lots of energy here. Good length. A little like a spring. »
www.erobertparker.com, Neal Martin, 11/30/-0001
« Deep purple colour. The nose is reticent at first, takes some coaxing, ripe fleshy red fruit, a touch of damson, black cherry and blueberry. Nice definition but it remains tightly coiled. The palate is spicy, lovely prickle on the tongue, vibrant black fruits, lots of energy here. Good length. A little like a spring. »
www.jancisrobinson.com, Jancis Robinson, 11/30/-0001
« Not made to age faster but to be enjoyed younger! They adapt extraction to have a tannin structure that will not be too harsh in the first five or six years. Less pumping over, cooler temperatures, less extraction. They choose to make it especially aromatic. Has it changed? Yes, at the beginning it was just marketing but since then we have changed the vinification deliberately. Had to chaptalise two cuves of Cabernet by 0.5%.
Impressive crimson. Fresh and dense and lively on the nose. Polished and just the merest hint of green. Bit of meat extract. Pretty nice and opulent and ripe. 13%
Drink 2012-18 »
www.jancisrobinson.com, Jancis Robinson, 11/30/-0001
« Not made to age faster but to be enjoyed younger! They adapt extraction to have a tannin structure that will not be too harsh in the first five or six years. Less pumping over, cooler temperatures, less extraction. They choose to make it especially aromatic. Has it changed? Yes, at the beginning it was just marketing but since then we have changed the vinification deliberately. Had to chaptalise two cuves of Cabernet by 0.5%.
Impressive crimson. Fresh and dense and lively on the nose. Polished and just the merest hint of green. Bit of meat extract. Pretty nice and opulent and ripe. 13%
Drink 2012-18 »
www.thewinedoctor.com, www.thewinedoctor.com, 11/30/-0001
« Harvest and yield information for this, the second wine of Palmer, is as for the grand vin. A blend of 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine took 50% of the crop. On the nose a bright and stony perfume, with crisp violets. Freshness follows on the palate, stony but with substance, a touch juicy, but underneath it is structured and firmly balanced. A very appealing wine which puts many classed growths of the appellation to shame. »
www.thewinedoctor.com, www.thewinedoctor.com, 11/30/-0001
« Harvest and yield information for this, the second wine of Palmer, is as for the grand vin. A blend of 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine took 50% of the crop. On the nose a bright and stony perfume, with crisp violets. Freshness follows on the palate, stony but with substance, a touch juicy, but underneath it is structured and firmly balanced. A very appealing wine which puts many classed growths of the appellation to shame. »
