2008 Alter Ego de Palmer, Margaux, Bordeaux

2008 Alter Ego de Palmer, Margaux, Bordeaux

Product: 20088004295
 
2008 Alter Ego de Palmer, Margaux, Bordeaux

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Description

Palmer’s 2008 Grand Vin was superb and, quite honestly, their second wine is not far behind. There is a lovely depth of fruit and spice on the palate with fabulous concentration and focus. Very precise, this is incredibly elegant with multilayered fruit and a wonderfully long finish. If you fancy a taste of the First Growth quality of the Grand Vin but at a third of the price, then 2008 Alter Ego is for you.

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Critics reviews

Burghound93/100
A much more floral-inflected nose is equally fresh and ripe with a broader range of spice elements adding breadth to the pretty red and blue pinot fruit aromas that are trimmed in noticeable if not invasive wood. The caressing and wonderfully vibrant medium-bodied flavors possess better mid-palate density before concluding in a lingering, balanced and much more complex finale. I like the focused drive of the finish; indeed this could aptly be described as a wine that delivers power without weight. I would further note that the 2017 is a relatively elegant example and, like the La Forge, a wine that could be approached on the earlier side, which is to say after 7 to 8 years.

Drink 2032+

Burghound (Jan 2020) Read more
Neal Martin, Vinous93-95/100
The 2018 Clos des Lambrays is 80% whole bunch this year and aged in 50% new oak. Jacques Desvauges took the sample from two barrels in proportion with the wood. It has a floral bouquet with scents of wilted rose petals and incense, hints of cedar filtering through the red berry fruit. The stems are much better integrated than in the Les Loups. The elegant palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, peppery but harmonious and sustained, and plenty of energy toward the finish. This is the only vintage vinified by Boris Champy, and he did a fine job.

Drink 2023-2042

Neal Martin, Vinous (Nov 2019) Read more
Wine Advocate89/100
Purely seductive in its personality, this blend of 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon displays silky tannins and a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, with plenty of wood smoke, creme de cassis, and sweet, foresty notes. It is round, generous and irresistible. Drink it over the next decade.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 02/05/2011 Read more
Robert Parker89/100
Purely seductive in its personality, this blend of 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon displays silky tannins and a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, with plenty of wood smoke, creme de cassis, and sweet, foresty notes. It is round, generous and irresistible. Drink it over the next decade.
Robert Parker- Wine Advocate- May 2011

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.Y ields at Palmer were a shockingly low 30 ha per hectare, and the harvest lasted from October 1 to 17. Moreover, the level of tannins and dry extract/polyphenols was the same as in 2005, which provides one more piece of evidence in what is a very successful vintage for Bordeaux.
Robert Parker- Wine Advocate - Apr 09 Read more

About this WINE

Château Palmer

Château Palmer

Château Palmer is a leading wine estate in Margaux. Within its appellation, Palmer is certainly the closest rival to its first growth neighbor, Ch. Margaux. Although officially ranked a Third Growth, at their best, the wines of Ch. Palmer are among the greatest anywhere in Bordeaux.

The estate dates to the 17th century, though it was not until 1814 that Englishman Charles Palmer took ownership and gave it his name. In 1938, the estate was bought by four Bordeaux négociant families, two of whom – Sichel and Mähler-Besse – still own the property today. Since 2004, the estate has been led by the charismatic agronomist and oenologist Thomas Duroux, who had previously made wine at Ornellaia in Tuscany.

Thomas undertook major renovations, including completely modernizing the grape reception area, the vat rooms, and barrel cellar. In the vineyards, the technical team began experimenting with biodynamic farming, and today Palmer is among the leading biodynamic vineyards in Bordeaux. In addition to the grand vin, the Ch. Palmer’s portfolio also includes a cuvée called Alter Ego.

Introduced in 1998, Alter Ego is produced from grapes grown on dedicated plots and blended differently from the grand vin. As such, the estate regards it not as a second wine but as a distinctive cuvée in its own right.

Palmer lies in the commune of Cantenac, just outside the village of Margaux. 66 hectares of vines are planted on a plateau of gravel, sand, and clay soils overlooking the Gironde estuary. Plantings include equal parts of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon at 47% each and 6% Petit Verdot. Although the average age of the vines is fairly typical of the region at about 40 years, some of the vines are over 70 years old. That, along with the relatively high Merlot content and the benefits of careful, well-established biodynamic practices, may account for the wines’ richness and complexity.

Fermentation occurs in conical, stainless-steel vats in varying sizes, allowing each variety and parcel to be fermented separately for subsequent selection and blending. The grand vin is aged for 20-22 months in barrels, of which less than 50% is new. Thanks to the health and consistency of the estate’s biodynamically produced fruit, Palmer has been able, over the past few years, to safely reduce the quantity of sulfites added throughout the process, aiming to produce wines with more freshness and purity of flavor. For Alter Ego, less new wood is used, and aging time is slightly reduced to produce a wine the estate describes as “distinguished by its freshness of fruit, crisp intensity, and richness from the moment out of the barrel”.

Between 2008 and 2013, Ch. Palmer made the transition to 100% biodynamic farming. In addition to its vineyards, the estate is home to a diversity of complementary plants and grazing animals.

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Margaux

Margaux

If Pauillac can be seen as the bastion of ‘traditional’ Red Bordeaux, then Margaux represents its other facet in producing wines that are among Bordeaux’s most sensual and alluring. It is the largest commune in the Médoc, encompassing the communes of Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labaude, in addition to Margaux itself. Located in the centre of the Haut-Médoc, Margaux is the closest of the important communes to the city of Bordeaux.

The soils in Margaux are the lightest and most gravelly of the Médoc, with some also containing a high percentage of sand. Vineyards located in Cantenac and Margaux make up the core of the appelation with the best vineyard sites being located on well-drained slopes, whose lighter soils give Margaux its deft touch and silky perfumes. Further away from the water, there is a greater clay content and the wines are less dramatically perfumed.

Margaux is the most diffuse of all the Médoc appelations with a reputation for scaling the heights with irreproachable wines such as Ch. Margaux and Ch. Palmer, but also plumbing the depths, with too many other châteaux not fulfilling their potential. There has been an upward shift in recent years, but the appellation cannot yet boast the reliability of St Julien. However, the finest Margaux are exquisitely perfumed and models of refinement and subtlety which have few parallels in Bordeaux.

Recommended Châteaux: Ch. Margaux, Ch. Palmer, Ch. Brane-Cantenac, Ch. Rauzan-Ségla , Ch. Dufort-Vivens, Ch. Ferrière, Ch. du Tertre, Ch. Giscours, Ch. d'Angludet.

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Cabernet Sauvignon blend

Cabernet Sauvignon blend

Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.

In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and  Australia.

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When is a wine ready to drink?

We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.

Not ready

These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.

Ready - youthful

These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.

Ready - at best

These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.

Ready - mature

These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.