The colour is deep ruby. On the nose ripe black fruits, chocolate and mocha. In the mouth well integrated tannins and balanced. The aftertaste is elegant and last for very long. Very good wine, although I find this bottle less exciting than the one I tasted one year ago.
Alter Ego de Palmer is a second label (not a second wine) produced by Château Palmer since 1998. The grapes are selected from the same terroirs of the Grand Vin, but different proportions of grapes are used and different wine-making techniques are employed. The goal is to produce an earlier-drinking wine.
Nowadays some 40% of the estate’s production is sold as Alter Ego de Palmer. The result has been a significant reduction in the quantity of wine sold as Château Palmer (from nearly 20’000 cases before the introduction of Alter Ego to 11’000-12’000 cases currently). The previous second wine, La Réserve du Général, is not a component of Alter Ego de Palmer. It is now sold off in bulk.
In the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 the wine of Château Palmer was classified among the fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths).
These days the wine of Château Palmer is considered among the best of Bordeaux and placed in the category of a Super Second, due to its high quality and price in the marketplace. (A Super Second Bordeaux is an unofficial classification awarded to only a few chateaux that rank above the other Second Growths and just below the First Growths.)
This “anomaly” is better understood by analysing the history of the property, which was purchased by Major General Charles Palmer in 1814. An Englishman retired from military life, Palmer invested in the property over the following years, acquiring additional land and facilities.
By the 1830s the domain had a reputation on a par with Château Margaux. In the early 1840s Palmer had economic difficulties, which would later affect the estate’s position in the 1855 Classification.
The present château was constructed in 1857-1860. Since 2004, Château Palmer has been managed by Thomas Duroux, formerly a winemaker of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia.
The exceptional 2009 vintage is a blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Favourable weather left the harvested fruit ripe, healthy, full of flavour and concentrated.
For this bottle I paid 61 CHF when I bought it En Primeur in 2010. In Switzerland it currently sells for double the price.
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Type: Red
Vintage: 2009
Producer: Chãteau Palmer
Price range: Extra (50-100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5