This marvellous property is often thought of as a Second Growth and for a period before the Mentzelopoulos years at Château MARGAUX it was also the benchmark for the AC. At its best the wine displays not only the perfume of the appellation but ripe, powerful, almost sumptuous dark fruit. In part this must be down to the very high proportion of Merlot planted, at 47% the same as Cabernet Sauvignon. . Continuous improvements in the vineyards and the cellars on the estate fully justify its rating for wines produced since the mid ‘nineties. Of the greatearlier years here, 89, 83, 70, 66 and 61stand out. Alter Ego de Palmer,produced from a separate plot of 8 ha on the estate, and therefore not considered as a second but a different wine, tends to have an even higher proportion of Merlot in the final blend and less new oak whilst ageing. Itsets anew standard for the property.Since 2014, the vines began to be farmed biodynamically and were certified fully biodynamic in 2017.(DM/NB)
