BORALT20
£90.80
The "other" wine made by Ch. Palmer, first made 1998 the grapes come from different plots than those of Ch. Palmer and with a different blend Alter Ego is produced (and marketed) as very much it's own thing alongside Ch. Palmer. Generally the Alter Ego has slightly more Merlot than "normal Palmer, but the 2020 vintage is actually the other way round, with this being the Cabernet Sauvignon dominated version.
"Chocolate shavings and smoked coffee bean on the nose, it's a vintage where you can't get away from the tannins, but here they have sinew and juice, like the best translation of the tannins in the year. This has real purity of fruit (very low SO2 addition at Palmer), together with the gourmet touch that you want in Alter Ego. 45% of overall production. 3.73pH. Survived mildew better than in 2018 because of experience in dealing with the conditions. August 15 to 29 for the harvest. A yield of 31hl/ha." Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
£29.95
A beautifully balanced and complex Chardonnay, fermented and matured for nine months in 3-year-old French oak barriques. Generous aromas of ripe orchard fruits, floral honey, and toasted nuts.
£29.95
The highlight of the Wine GB tasting, and indeed the day, was this Pinot Noir Precoce (an early riprning variant of Pinot Noir) from just outside Ledbury.
A good depth of garnet and a slight tone of terracotta in colour. Black cherry and sweet spice with hints of chocolate and smoke on the nose. A rich and almost full-bodied palate with silky tannins from time in barrel. Dark fruits, clove and vanilla spice are followed by earthy forest floor undertones on the finish
£4.79
Fresh and dry with a persistent with foam. Soft and approachable with red berry charaters on the nose and palate.
£30.00
The name of this unusual Bourgogne Pinot Noir refers to the latitude of Burgundy, and it is a blend of out best Bourgogne Rouge, Cote de Nuits Village, Marsannay and Vosne-Romanee.
Maison Marchand-Tawse