95
Falstaff: Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Intensive schwarze Beerenfrucht, etwas Lakritze und Wacholder, etwas Nougat und Vanille, einladendes Bukett. Saftig, elegant, mineralischer Kern, reife Tannine, schwarze Beerenfrucht, frisch und anhaftend, bereits zugänglich, ein finessenreicher Speisenbegleiter."
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Vinum: Tiefdunkel in Farbe und Duft; reife Brombeere, Heidelbeeren und Schwarzkirschen im Duft; am Gaumen zugänglich, mit bereits gut verpackten Gerbstoffen und einer opulenten, dabei knackigen Frucht, der Wein hat Charme, Kraft und Frische, hallt lange nach, hinterlässt ein salziges Mundgefühl. Ein muskulöser Wein voller Klarheit und Präzision."
94
Decanter: Quite a spiced notes on the nose, really aromatic, a little toasted with cinnamon, cedar, dried herbs, some florality and blackcurrants. Smooth and creamy with a crushed velvety aspect to the tannins which fill the mouth and create a soft cushioning of texture from which the ripe but also cool blueberry aspects widen. Quiet, calm, still massy with power and muscles but well integrated and not shouting. It’s certainly juicy and mouthwatering with a crystalline blueberry aspect. Great purity but still with this wide frame and quite firm liquorice spiced edges. Lots going on here. More Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than Merlot. 15% press wine."
93
Jane Anson: Beautiful deep plum colour, so juicy and mouth watering, with a real energy and momentum, blueberry, cherry pit, love the powerful concentration and sense of lift through the palate, and things really grip as it opens and unfolds. 20hl/h, as with everywhere, 3.65ph, harvest September 8 to 24."
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Jeb Dunnuck: Rocking notes of red, blue, and black fruits, roasted herbs, graphite, and chocolate define the 2025 Alter Ego, a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot that's being raised in 20% new barriques and foudres. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, round, and supple, with ripe, chalky tannins. It checks in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.65."
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Wine Advocate: The 2025 Alter Ego de Palmer unwinds in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums and violets, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated palate defined by lively acids and plenty of sweet, powdery tannin. Checking in at 13% alcohol, it's a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. The low yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare might shock other estates, but Palmer has become much more habituated to such numbers in recent years."
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Lisa Perrotti-Brown: Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2025 Alter Ego pops from the glass with exuberant notes of wild blueberries and black raspberries, giving way to hints of pencil shavings, dusty soil, and bay leaves with a waft of lavender. The light- to medium-bodied palate has intense blue and red berry flavors with a crisp backbone and lightly chewy tannins, finishing with a real skip in its step. The blend is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot. The alcohol is 13% and the pH is 3.65."
