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Alter Ego de Palmer 2020

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

This is the second wine of Château 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 2020 Alter Ego de Palmer has turned out beautifully, bursting with aromas of violets and rose petals mingled with notions of sweet dark berries and baking chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless, it's vibrant and perfumed, with a bright core of fruit, powdery tannins and a long, expansive finish. It's a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. 2026 - 2045

93
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, April 2023

Gorgeous perfumes of plums, berries, light chocolate and walnut follow through to a medium body, fine tannins and crunchy finish. Bright and fresh. Precise tannins. Drinkable but better after 2027.

96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2023

Chocolate shavings and smoked coffee bean on the nose, it's a vintage where you can't get away from the tannins, but here they have sinew and juice, like the best translation of the tannins in the year. This has real purity of fruit (very low SO2 addition at Palmer), together with the gourmet touch that you want in Alter Ego. 45% of overall production. 3.73pH. Survived mildew better than in 2018 because of experience in dealing with the conditions. August 15 to 29 for the harvest. A yield of 31hl/ha.

Drinking Window 2024 - 2038

93
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, May 2021

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. Cask sample.
Very much in the Alter Ego mould – lively, fruit-driven with that vineyard-fresh feel but with a little more structure than previous years. Pure and appetising but will age. (JL) 13.7%
Drink 2026 – 2035

17+
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2021

A density to smell that is typical of many wines in the year, very Merlot blackberry, and very mineral, too; full and fresh and finely tannic; an immediately showy, ample, fruit-bomb style: generously ripe, amply juicy, fleshy, mouthfilling, spicy, but with fine length to taste, plus the necessary defining freshness, and excellent persistence. A particulary succulent, satisfying Margaux. 2026–40.

91/93
Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine, May 2021
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.