Château Palmer Margaux Alter Ego de Palmer 2017

The first thing that strikes here is the purity of expression of the blueberry and raspberry fruit, set against cocoa bean, liqourice and a gentle twist of orange peel and saffran. In theory, looking at vintage alone, this shouldn’t be as good as the 2016 2nd wines that we are tasting it alongside, but it stands out for its excellence – a reflection of the quality of Alter Ego. Second wine created in 1998, predominantly on terraces 3 and 4, Mahler-Besse & Maison Sichel negociants owners, Thomas Duroux technical director since 2004.