Alter Ego - Château Palmer - Margaux 2015

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

byNeal Martinthe3/2/2018

The 2015 Palmer is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot with around 14.1% alcohol, a little higher than usual. It is much more backward on the nose than the Alter Ego and demanded coaxing from the glass, eventually revealing scents of blackberry, cassis, boysenberry, crushed stone and a touch of vanilla pod, beautifully defined with a brooding sense of power. I suspect that this will be no shy and retiring violet when it reaches full maturity. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins that caress the mouth on the entry, and it is a voluminous Palmer, not heavy but multifaceted. Black fruits are laced with oyster shell, hints of allspice and crushed stone, delivering a crescendo toward an intense finish that this château has specialized in under winemaker Thomas Duroux. It will require at least a decade in bottle, but I probably agree with the estate that it will last many decades. Superb...but only for the patient. Anticipated maturity: 2025 - 2065. 

Vinous

92 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe2/27/2018

The 2015 Alter Ego is just as alluring today as it was from barrel. Sweet floral notes, spice, dried cherry, mint, tobacco and crushed flowers are all laced together in this silky, mid-weight Margaux. Time in barrel has mellowed some of the exuberance the 2015 showed from barrel. Open-knit, supple and super-expressive, Alter Ego is a winner. Time in the glass brings out aromatic presence of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe2/22/2018

Composed of 52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Alter Ego de Palmer has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and gorgeous nose of ripe plums, cassis and crushed cherries with touches of incense, lavender and chocolate box. Medium-bodied, very finely crafted and vivacious in the mouth, it finishes with great elegance and finesse.

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/15/2018

Warm and inviting, with delightfully ripe plum and cassis notes that are lined with subtle lilac, fresh earth and singed sandal wood details before a wave of tobacco and humus comes in on the finish. Approachable, but should develop with time. Best from 2019 through 2029.   –JM

Jamessuckling.com

96 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/12/2018

This is sensational, characterized by such purity and beauty and with aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate, walnuts, cedar and lavender. Full-bodied, tight and focused — in part thanks to sensational tannin tension that is intense yet polished. Needs five to six years of bottle age to come together. Great second wine of Palmer.

Decanter.com

92 / 100

byJane Ansonthe1/26/2018

This is still very tight, the focussed cassis fruits given further focus by slate and rosemary herbs. This is an exceptional second wine, one that shows the beauty of this vintage. Both Alter Ego and Palmer were bottled in August 2017 - a little later than is traditional at the property, to give the wines more time to build harmony after blending. But it probably explains why they are so closed up right now.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe11/30/2017

Vinifera

4 / 5

the5/31/2016

Nez très pur, sur les fruits rouges. Corps superbe, doté d’une grande texture, suave et réglissée. Tanin savoureux, fin. La finale est au diapason, vraiment irrésistible, sur des notes de café, de mûre, de groseille.

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/30/2016

With a nose packed with flowers, dark, red fruits, espresso, thyme and earth, this wine is sensuous, silky, ripe and lush, exuding freshness, polished tannins and a beautiful sense of purity and balance in the fruit. Clearly, this is the best vintage for Alter Ego and one to watch as Alter Ego is often priced below other wines in the appellation due to its lack of classified growth status. Produced from a blend of 52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, this wine reached 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.85. The fruit was picked September 22 through October 7.

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/29/2016

The 2015 Alter Ego de Palmer is a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. It has a very open, ravishing, quite precocious bouquet with ripe black cherries, fresh dates and crème de cassis that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is more refined, reins it all back in thanks to quite tensile tannin, a crisp line of acidity, moderate depth in the mouth and a gentle grip. There is a touch of tarriness and cracked black pepper towards the finish with very good length. Give this 5-7 years in bottle.

Bettane & Desseauve

17 / 20

the4/28/2016

Texture et parfum toujours aussi précis et charmeurs, bien construit, complexe, racé.

Vinous

90-93 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe4/27/2016

The 2015 Alter Ego is round, succulent and also a terrific introduction to the vintage. Raspberry jam, cinnamon, flowers and mint are all pushed forward. This is an especially succulent, juicy Margaux that is firing on all cylinders. Today, the 2015 gives the impression it will drink well with minimal cellaring, as its balance and overall harmony are first-rate. The blend is 52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot.

Decanter.com

91 / 100

bySteven Spurrierthe4/27/2016

Fine concentration of naturally rich floral fruit from 52% Merlot. More structure to come from perfectly integrated tannins. 2019-2030

Jean-Marc QUARIN

16,5 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/20/2016

Ma meilleure note donnée à ce cru en primeur à égalité avec le 2009.Couleur sombre, intense et belle. Nez fin et puissant, à la jolie note de prune. Bouche ronde, juteuse,savoureuse, évoluant moelleuse et parfumée. C'est un grand délice à la douceur tactile superbe.Incrachable. Assemblage : 52 % merlot, 42 % cabernet sauvignon, 6 % petit verdot. Degré d'alcool : 14°- pH : 3,85. Sélection : 50 % du volume.

timatkin.com

91 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe4/20/2016

Wine Enthusiast

93-95 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/15/2016

Barrel Sample. This is a beautifully perfumed wine. It has ripe black fruits that shoot through the richness. It has a velvet texture, rounded and already smooth. There is just a shot of tannin and the hint of wood at the end. 94 points

Jancis Robinson

16,5 /

byJancis Robinsonthe4/15/2016

52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, picked 22 September to 7 October. Very rich on the nose. Very sweet and with sufficient freshness. Very very round. Just on the right side of soupy - but you really have to drink this pretty young, I think. Drink 2020-2027

René Gabriel

17 / 20

the4/10/2016

Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Tintiges Bouquet, Pflaumenschalen, floraler Schimmer und pfeffrige Nuancen. Saftiger Fluss, sehr elegant, aromatisches Finale. Ein sehr harmonischer Zweitwein ohne Zwischentöne. 17/20 2020 – 2033

Jamessuckling.com

94-95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2016

Very solid and powerful with dried mushroom and wet earth aromas and flavors. Complex. Full and chewy yet so polished and long. Spicy, meat and gorgeous. Most serious Alter Ego ever. More inner Ego now!. 52% merlot, 41% cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot 6%.