Chateau Palmer 2003 Margaux Grand Cru Classe

Bright garnet/purple colour. Ebulliant fruits on the nose: violets, cassis and blueberry. Superb definition and very pretty. The palate is refined, balanced with sweet blackcherry and cassis again. A lovely freshness and poise, I could drink this now! Slight prickle on the mid-palate really lifts the wine. Touch of cigar box on the finish. Great potential.

3rd classified growth in 1855. Palmer could easily claim to the rank of a second. The vine stock of merlot occupy about half of the vineyard, what is odd in Margaux, and that explains in good part the round and smooth character of the high-class wine which sometimes makes it compare with a pomerol. But do not think incorrect, Palmer has the depth and the complexity of the great margaux.
Mähler Besse recently re-examined the name and the style of the second wine named Alter Ego. This last is worked out to be drunk from its fifth year. It is characterized by a great roundness due in particular to a proportion from merlot which can reach 60%, whereas Palmer contains only 40% on average. The time in barrels is 17 months with a proportion of reasonable new wood (25%).