This is a delicious and savory wine with beautiful, ripe and creamy tannins, as well as chocolate and plum character. Full body. The flavors turn to wet earth and mushrooms with some leather. A blend of 53% merlot, 41% cabernet sauvignon and 6% petit verdot. Lovely finish.

The fabulous second wine of Palmer, created in an earlier-drinking style. Ripe plum and violet, quite musky and exotic. Sweet edges tannins but retaining pleasing freshness. Becomes a touch herbal on the finish. - April 2018

A blend of 53% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Alter Ego de Palmer is very deep purple-black in color and gives up exuberant crushed red currants, red cherries, black plums and mulberries with touches of forest floor, garrigue and lavender plus a waft of dark chocolate. The palate is medium-bodied with a good core of plummy fruit and very soft, plush tannins, sparked by just enough freshness, finishing fruity. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, erobertparker.com, April 2018

The 2017 Alter Ego is wonderfully lifted and floral, with a persistent red berry character that carries through to the finish effortlessly. The 2017 is a very pretty Alter Ego that will drink well with minimal cellaring. There is so much to like here. The blend is 53% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. Technical Director Thomas Duroux told me his team harvested all the fruit in nine days as opposed to the more typical 2-3 weeks. The 2017s were done with no SO2 at crush. Duroux stopped the pumpovers early and favored gentle extractions. Both wines are in the 13-13.2% range of finished alcohol. - vinous.com, May 2018

The 2017 Alter Ego is matured in 25% new oak. It has quite a rich, dark chocolate-tinged bouquet that is driven by the Merlot, almost Right Bank in style. It just lacks the same detail and clarity as the Grand Vin. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannin, nicely balanced, certainly one of the more approachable Alter Ego in recent years with a touch of spice and clove towards the finish. - vinous.com, May 2018

Inky black colour. Delicate and super-pure dark fruit, Dark and savoury on the palate, rich and deep in savoury black fruit. Very smooth but with attractive density, smooth and dark and very long. Elegant and flowing across the palate. - Julia Harding, jancisrobinson.com, April 2018