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Producers
Alter Ego de Palmer Carillon d’Angelus Carruades de Lafite Château Angélus Château Ausone Château Belgrave Château Calon-Ségur Château Cantemerle Château Cantenac Brown Château Climens Château Clinet Château Cos Labory Château Cos d’Estournel Château Coutet Château de Camensac Château de Ferrand Château de Fieuzal Château d’Yquem Château Ducru Beaucaillou Château-Figeac Château Fleur Cardinale Château Fombrauge Château Giscours Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Château Gruaud-Larose Château Haut Bages Libéral Château Haut Batailley Château Haut-Brion Château Haut-Marbuzet Château Kirwan Château La Fleur Petrus Château Lagrange Château La Gurgue Château La Mission Haut Brion Château Lafite Rothschild Château Lanessan Château Langoa Barton Château Larrivet Haut Brion Château Latour Château La Tour Carnet Château Latour Martillac Château Léoville Las Cases Château Léoville Barton Château Léoville-Poyferré Château L'Evangile Château Les Grands Chênes Château Lynch-Bages Château Malescasse Château Margaux Château Marquis d’Alesme Château Maucaillou Château Monbousquet Château Montrose Château Mouton Rothschild Château Palmer Château Pape Clément Château Pavie Château Pédesclaux Château Pétrus Château Phélan Ségur Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Château Pontet-Canet Château Pouget Château Poujeaux Château Rauzan-Ségla Château Rieussec Château Sigalas-Rabaud Château Taillefer Château Talbot Cheval Blanc Echo Lynch Bages Le Petit Mouton Marquis de Calon Pagodes de Cos Petit Haut Lafitte Vieux Château Certan
Producers
Alter Ego de Palmer
Considered as one of the best - if not the best - second wine to come out of Bordeaux, Chateau Palmer’s Alter Ego has a lot to say for itself. And making its voice heard is no mean feat - the estate’s first wine is one of the few to receive a “perfect 100” from heavenly trinity Robert Parker, James Suckling and Antonio Galloni.
A third growth estate for a first rate wine
So, with a terroir and savoir faire that scores perfectly more often than not, what can we expect from Alter Ego? Well, firstly that it is a wine in its own right - definitely not Palmer’s poor relation. In fact, using the term “second wine” when talking about Alter Ego is not for the fainthearted. Because Alter Ego comes from different plots than Palmer and is produced with a different blend than the Grand Vin, Chateau Palmer does not view this as a second wine. They produce and market it as its own, unique wine. It does however benefit from Thomas Duroux’s skillful touch and biodynamic farming methods , making it one of the most coveted products on the investment market. Duroux is famous for not turning to chemicals even when the threat of mildew was looming, prefering to keep things au naturel.
Keeping it real
Since its inception in 1988 (prior to then it was called La Reserve du General), Alter Ego has proved so popular that it now makes up for 50% of Palmer’s production. That might sound like a lot, but Chateau Palmer is famously one of the most prolific in Medoc, with average yields being in the region of 200,000 bottles a year, meaning that there is plenty of the first and second wine for everyone. However, such fame has come at a cost, and Alter Ego is one of the most counterfeited wines, particularly in Asia. So, in order to make sure that every one of those 200,000 odd bottles is the real deal, Palmer uses the Prooftag system to guarantee authenticity. A code is found on the seal of the bottle, which can be checked via their internet site or app.
Ego boost
Because of Alter Ego’s delicious drinkability, older vintages are increasingly hard to find. This comes as good news for investors, as Chateau Palmer is classed among the three top vineyards in Bordeaux, with prices rising dramatically by 89% over the past 10 years. Unfortunately, prices match the chateau’s success, and Alter Ego is among the highest priced wines of Bordeaux.
Notable facts and vintages
  • Tasted as a Future (where negociants buy highly-sought after Bordeaux wines before they are bottled and released on the market), 2017s 53% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot blend received great critical acclaim, with Jeb Dunnuck calling it “terrific”. Scores were high, including 92/100 from the Wine Advocate.
  • Despite scoring low for Palmer (still 92/100 on aggregate but only 91/100 from Wine Advocate and 89/100 from Antonio Galloni) 2015s is beautifully balanced with ripe tannins and should keep for a good 10-15 years.
  • A high alcohol content (13.2%) means that the 2011 will keep you on your toes, but will age beautifully for about 15 years. Despite a slight dip in value in Q1 2020, this vintage is back at its pre covid price.