08 Ch. Palmer "Alter Ego"

[Bacchus]

I haven't been around much. I've been on something of a wine and internet holiday. Maybe the holidays are over!

Had the 08 "Alter Ego" the other night. On opening it wasn't giving much; not completely closed down, but tight and tannic. It opened up a bit as the evening wore on, but not a whole lot. So initially I didn't think much of it. But by day 3 (I skipped day 2) it had developed into a very nice wine. It had opened up quite a bit. The tannins softened and came into a very nice balance with the acids. The fruit profile broadened out nicely with yummy margaux berries, more red than black, but enough black to give it depth and balance. Amid the fruit was a whole array of secondary or second-tier flavors -- cassis to cacao, rose petals to leather, hints of coffee to hints of mixed herbs. Toasty oak and vanilla were present, but thankfully not in excess. The finish turned nicely cedary in that Bdx way. It has a nice silky texture. I guess what struck me most was its balance. It's elegantly done, nothing in excess. It's class, not sass! Considering price and pedigree, it seems like a sure thing. I'll be buying a few more bottles.

Hey, if '09 is over-rated (even thin!), and '10 won't be ready before 2424, and both are priced with the inflation rates of 2424 had already occurred, '08 might be worth another look.

[JimHow]

Where you been Bacchus!

[robert goulet]

Alter ego...one of my fav's...loved '02 and '04

[JimHow]

But how good can it be, it is a second wine?

[Bacchus]

How good can it be? Well I haven't tried the 06 Ch. Palmer, so I can't compare. But I assume it's not at the same level. If I were to put a number on it I'd give it 91 or 92, but add the + of expected improvement. But I hate numbers because someone will invariably say, well why should I buy a 92 when somebody else gave some other wine, say Du Tertre, a 93. Problem is, Du Tertre isn't Alter Ego, no matter what points the two wines get. Alter Ego may not be le grand vin, but it is still a very nice wine, at least after 3 days of air! It is also a lot less money than le grand vin. So for 25% of the cost of Ch. Palmer itself, one gets 85% of the quality (or something like that). It's what Gary Vaynerchuck would call the value play. Hey, where is GV these days?

[Michael Malinoski]

I went to a tasting over the summer where a company was demonstrating a new product that when attached to wine bottles can track the range of temperatures the wine has been exposed to during shipping. I think they were running a trial with Ch Palmer and were pouring the '08 Alter Ego from a pristine bottle and I have to say it was really quite good. If I could be sure to get similarly perfect provenance, I'd say it's a no-brainer! Thanks for the detailed note.

-Michael

[robert goulet]

Jim, Very good because alter ego is not a second wine

[robert goulet]

Drinking the '08 alter ego as I type....it's nice and it looks like wine doctor gave this a generous score..again I do like it but.....this appears to be a departure from past vintages...just a bit too much oak for me masking the goodies...the nose is lovely black raspberries covered in velvet, soft rose petals, toast and stone aromas(very well done) on the palate I have to believe some American oak was used here which I do not recall tasting in '04 and '02 Alter ego..detecting coconut and vanilla flavors, fairly ripe black fruits and nice mineral action....the balance I feel is inferior to the past vintages listed above and a tad too heavy handed for me....I like it, but not for the price...'04 and '02 for me were vastly superior

[Bacchus]

Well it needs time. As you can see from my note, I wasn't that big on it upon opening. It took awhile. I definitely tasted the oak, but not as strongly as you BG. By the way, have you ever tasted the 01 and/or 06? I wonder if the 06 is closer to the 04 or the 08, or something entirely different?

[robert goulet]

Never had those...true '08 is a nice wine, but I guess i was spoiled by the leather and margaux berries in the '04...for the price in '08 Larrivet in pessac is the way to go