Sometimes our tastings at Château Palmer leave us a little perplexed. This certainly wasn’t the case with the 2021; we totally get this wine. It’s sheer magic, and in our opinion one of the best wines of the Médoc (a view backed up by most if not all the critics). Alas, yields of just 22 hl/ha will ensure this is in short supply, so we advise followers of Palmer to get their skates on! This is not a wine you’ll want to miss. Powerful and virile, yet sophisticated and poised, this is one of the most texturally interesting, most layered, most alluring wines of the vintage. We really can’t remember a more impressive showing from barrel. Alter Ego was a precursor to Palmer. Some lesser plots were damaged by frost, so the blend here is Cabernet dominant (60%). Again, this is one of the most cohesive and striking Alter Egos we can recall tasting.
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“The late-ripening, low-yielding vintage has delivered a beautifully balanced wine of striking intensity in the 2021 Palmer. Unwinding in the glass with complex aromas of blackberries, exotic spices, licorice, violets and burning embers, it's full-bodied, layered and enveloping, with a deep, concentrated core of fruit, ripe tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, expansive finish. If recent vintages of Palmer have set new records in their power and richness, the 2021 marks a return to the classical proportions of the 1990s—with all the additional concentration and precision that Thomas Douroux's pioneering viticulture and thoughtful winemaking have brought to the equation at this address in the interim. The grand vin is a blend of 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, picked between September 24 and October 15. Tasted twice. 95-97/100” – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
“The 2021 Palmer has a discrete bouquet that demands patience. This does not race out of the blocks, rather it unfurls with subtle graphite scents, blackberry, hints of cassis, plus some of the briny aromas that I noticed on the Alter Ego. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins that frame the cedar and graphite infused black fruit. Quite strict for a Palmer, yet fresh with a cerebral, saline finish that is almost Pauillac-like in style despite the majority from old Merlot vines that are situated on some of its finest gravel terroirs. Very long, very suave on the finish. Superb. 94-96/100” – Neal Martin, vinous.com
Alter Ego
“The 2021 Alter Ego de Palmer is a somewhat unusual blend, in that it's fully 60% Cabernet Sauvignon this year, the estate's Merlot having suffered in the April frosts. Exhibiting aromas of cherries, sweet berries and plums mingled with hints of spices and pencil shavings, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and polished, with a charming, seamless profile founded on beautifully refined structuring tannins. Tasted twice. 91-93/100” – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
“The 2021 Alter Ego has quite a penetrating bouquet with an accentuated marine/oyster shell aspect that combines with the vivid blue and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit, certainly a more structured Alter Ego than usual with a fine line of acidity and graphite/cedar notes furnishing the finish. This will require some bottle age, but it should mature extremely well. 90-92/100” – Neal Martin, vinous.com