Despite the challenges of a cool, rainy vintage, the 2013 Alter Ego de Palmer expresses remarkable finesse and balance. Crafted with just a third of the harvest, this second wine of Château Palmer highlights silky texture, bright red fruit, and elegant freshness—a lighter, earlier-drinking Margaux that still carries the estate’s signature refinement.

Wine Enthusiast | WE 92
Published: Jan 30, 2016

Light and fruity, this wine has attractive acidity and layers of red berry fruits. The silky tannins are present, although light and dominated by the fruitiness of the wine. It's fresh, packed with acidity and likely to be ready soon. Drink from 2018. 

Jamessuckling.com | JS 90
Published: Feb 10, 2016

This is delicious and more-ish on the nose and palate with plum and chocolate aromas and flavors. Medium to full body with silky tannins. Juicy aftertaste. Drink now.

Chateau-palmer.com

ANY WORK OFFERS ENDLESS POSSIBLE INTERPRETATIONS. Alter Ego was launched with the 1998 vintage, driven by the idea of producing another facet to the estate. Spontaneous, round, generous, and silky, this 'other wine' is both intense and light, rich and delicate. It has the elegance and grain de tanin of its predecessor. Throughout its creation, Alter Ego is led by the same high standards that govern the composition of Château Palmer's great wine.

2013 Blend:  Merlot 46% Cabernet sauvignon 46% Petit verdot 8%

A year of heavy rain. Never have our vineyard workers experienced such a wet winter. This was followed by a late and hasty harvest. While worryingly rough tannins were avoided with careful vinification, only a third of the harvest was retained for the final blend…

Winter 2013 stands as one of the dampest of the last few years, which significantly complicated working conditions in the vineyard. Early in the season, our observations showed a delay of around ten days compared to the already late 2012 vintage. In May, rainy conditions led to a major amount of coulure. The risk of mildew was particularly high. The summer weather was more favorable, but the development of the vines remained stalled on a late growth cycle.

September held an unpleasant surprise for us, with rain, humidity, and warm temperatures. We began harvesting on September 27. The Merlots, which are so important to the identity of our wines – were picked in time and showed a level of phenolic and aromatic maturity that surpassed our expectations. We continued harvesting the Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Their aromatic palettes were clean and precise. During the winemaking process, the must was handled very carefully to avoid extracting any potentially harsh tannins.

We were able to carefully preserve the silky, velvety identity of the estate’s wines. To find the right expression for this difficult vintage, we held many different tasting sessions, each inspiring countless debates. In the end, only a third of the production was retained in the final blend. A great wine is all about balance. Château Palmer 2013 reminds us of this by subtly playing on an atypical style.