Chateau Palmer Alter Ego de Palmer 2020

Marked by the year’s eminently favourable climate, the 2020 vintage of Château Palmer is on par with 2018 in terms of structure, boasting sunny Merlot, fine and powerful Cabernet, and a terroir of brilliant clarity.

Grape Composition: 46% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot

Decanter: 93
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.

Decanter: 93

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.

Wine Enthusiast: 94
In this wine, the initial acidity gives way to richness and ripe tannins. With freshness and ripe acidity. the wine is balanced and has a great future.

Vinous: 94
The 2020 Alter Ego is phenomenal. Bright acids and lifted floral top notes give the Alter Ego terrific brilliance. The combination of the growing season and a move towards for the second year of élevage yields an Alter Ego that is decidedly linear in construction. The 2020 is going to need a number of years to come around. It's a gorgeous wine, but readers will have to get used to a style that is quite different from the more exuberant wines of the past. It's a very classic Alter Ego and very classic Margaux.

Vinous: 94

The 2020 Alter Ego is phenomenal. Bright acids and lifted floral top notes give the Alter Ego terrific brilliance. The combination of the growing season and a move towards for the second year of élevage yields an Alter Ego that is decidedly linear in construction. The 2020 is going to need a number of years to come around. It's a gorgeous wine, but readers will have to get used to a style that is quite different from the more exuberant wines of the past. It's a very classic Alter Ego and very classic Margaux.

James Suckling: 96
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.

Jeb Dunnuck: 94
Palmer's second wine, the 2020 Chateau Palmer Ego, is a beauty. Based on 56% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot, this ripe, sexy Margaux offers up a dense purple hue, impressive notes of ripe black cherry and currant fruits, full-bodied richness, and a layered, sweetly fruited, textured, already impossible to resist style. Given its density, structure, and length, you would certainly be excused for mistaking this for the Grand Vin. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades. Best After 2025.

Jeb Dunnuck: 94

Palmer's second wine, the 2020 Chateau Palmer Ego, is a beauty. Based on 56% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot, this ripe, sexy Margaux offers up a dense purple hue, impressive notes of ripe black cherry and currant fruits, full-bodied richness, and a layered, sweetly fruited, textured, already impossible to resist style. Given its density, structure, and length, you would certainly be excused for mistaking this for the Grand Vin. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades. Best After 2025.