Petrus Wines

wines

(Château Pétrus) The 2011 Pétrus is another utterly magical example of the vintage that will take plenty of cellaring before it fully blossoms, but will eventually outpace the more powerful 2010 at this estate. Olivier Berrouet commented that “with the 2011 having between ten and fifteen percent more tannins than the 2010, its elevage in new oak will be shorter this year as a result.” The team at Pétrus emphasized that “this was a vintage to restrain oneself in the vineyards and do nothing, so that the vines that were already suffering from the hydric stress would not be further shocked by any human intervention.” The wine has turned out brilliantly and will be a classic in fifteen or twenty years, as it offers up a deep and intense nose of black plums, black cherries, raw cocoa, woodsmoke, a beautiful base of soil, a touch of fresh herbs and a very suave and understated base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and impressively opulent in the mid-palate, with great focus and balance, ripe, substantial tannins and very long, pure, primary and perfectly balanced finish. A great Pétrus in the making. (Drink between 2030-2100).John Gilman | 97 JGThis extravagantly perfumed wine has great juicy, ripe fruits. The tannic structure is almost secondary in the welter of ripe fruits, but it is enough to promise aging. Acidity and rich fruitiness partner each other to give a wine that is both fresh and powerful. Drink from 2020.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEA dense ruby/purple-tinged color and restrained but intriguing aromas of kirsch, raspberry jam, wood spice, and mulberries are found in this full-bodied Petrus. An undeniable success in 2011, it is rich, layered and pure with light to moderate tannin, but seems slightly less muscular and tannic compared to its stablemate, Trotanoy. Forget it for a few years and drink it over the following 25 years. Made from 100% Merlot, it tips the scales at 13.5% alcohol. In short, it is typically open-knit and already showing very well. This is quite opulent.Robert Parker | 95 RPThis is tight and firm, with blueberry and blackberry character, and hints of sweet tobacco. Some wet earth, too. Black olives. Full body and very tight, with ultra-fine tannins and a fresh finish. Powerful and muscular. Try after 2023.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2011 Petrus has plenty of fruit on the nose, elegant and floral, redcurrant and raspberry fruit, a touch of crushed stone and pressed rose petal. The palate is medium-bodied with a rich and quite extravagant style of the finish, lightly spiced with a rounded, velvety-smooth and quite dense finish. Maybe it just conveys a little more winemaking that the terroir at the moment? Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis sports sweet spice, bitter cherry and light briar notes, with lively, pebbly tannins guiding the finish. Slightly high-pitched notes of blood orange and red currant fill in as well. Delivers range and length, yet lacks the depth of the top wines in this vintage. Best from 2015 through 2025.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

This shows fabulous length with a chocolate, berry and mineral undertone. Licorice and currants too. Full body yet refined with seamless tannins. Goes on for minutes. It shows such amazing length and elegance. Depth. Phenomenal structure here, especially for the vintage. Reminds me of the 1998 or 1971, which were structured yet very fine.James Suckling | 98 JSAnother great wine from Pétrus, this has enormous depths without losing any of the fruit or freshness of Merlot in 2012. It's massive while also elegant, weighty, richly full-bodied and also structured. At this stage the wine does show some signs of wood aging, which will diminish as it ages. The fruitiness is deceptive because this wine demands aging. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEOne of the stars of the vintage, the wine (100% Merlot) has exceptional concentration, stunning purity, an inky purple color and a broad, expansive mouthfeel. Not a bit heavy, cloying or overwrought, this is a stunning Petrus (licorice, blackcurrants and truffles dominate) that will probably hit full maturity in 8-10 years and last 25-35. Another great example of this mythical wine that few can afford, virtually no one drinks, but everyone talks about! Relatively high in alcohol at 14.5%, the crop was tiny because of the spring’s poor flowering in this sector of Pomerol.Robert Parker | 96+ RP(Château Pétrus) The 2012 Château Pétrus is a stunning young wine and everyone on the team seemed to be in a very happy mood with the quality of the vintage here. The tasting took place in the new chais, as the tasting room is still under construction, and the tasting was notable for the relaxed and friendly atmosphere- which was in notable contrast to the almost monastic, reverential mood of past years here (as well as at most of the other First Growths). The harvest at Pétrus started on September 24th, only to see the rain arrive the next day, which suspended the picking until the 1st of October, with all the remaining grapes being collected over the next week. The wine is cool, pure and wonderfully suave, which totally belies its 14.5 percent alcohol, as I would have guessed this wine to be in the 13.2 to 13.5 percent range. The bouquet is deep, primary and very refined, wafting from the glass in a mix of plums, black cherries, dark soil tones, cigar smoke, espresso and a gentle touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and potentially very velvety, with a superb core, ripe, seamless tannins and superb focus and grip on the very long and classic finish. This may evolve along the lines of the 1985 Pétrus, but it may possess even a bit more stuffing and land at a higher level when all is said and done. A superb wine. (Drink between 2025-2075).John Gilman | 96 JGThis has some serious muscle, with rivets of graphite studding a beam of dense, gravelly grip that holds the core of steeped plum and raspberry notes together. Very long, with superior cut. A graphite note powers through the finish, while the fruit drips on and on. Best from 2018 through 2032.Wine Spectator | 96 WSOne of the stars this year. Ripe, seductive nose with blackcurrant, blackberry and liquorish notes. Shows upfront charm but the palate has power, depth and distinction. Rounded tannins. Superb length. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040.Decanter | 95 DECA dark, hulking beauty, the 2012 Pétrus is utterly beguiling. For the year, the Pétrus boasts remarkable density and pure power. Spice, leather, cedar and tobacco wrap around a core of intense, super-ripe fruit. Bad weather during flowering lowered potential yields and resulted in a firm, powerful Pétrus that is going to need time to blossom. I imagine the 2012 will still be a pretty special wine at age forty.Antonio Galloni | 94+ AG

A wine evincing true enlightenment. It’s floral on the nose and also shows blackberries, stones, minerals and cedar. Full-bodied, yet its so fine-grained and tight. So, so long. It builds like a waterfall on the finish. The tannins are powerful yet superbly integrated and harmonious. Needs four to five years in bottle. Drink in 2023.James Suckling | 98 JSThis has lush, fleshy layers of blackberry, fig and black currant confiture rumbling through, pushed by notes of charcoal and warm tobacco leaf. Ganache hints fill in on the finish. Bass-driven, with a serious knot of tannins that have yet to stretch out, but the core of fruit is way too serious to doubt. Best from 2020 through 2035. 2,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Petrus, Pomerol, Red) Former winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet likens the growing season to 1978. But 60hl/ha then; 30hl/ha today. Classical and fine with the Merlot providing a Cabernet-like presentation of tannin. Very natural and unforced. Lovely texture and fruit. Persistent finish.Decanter | 95 DECThe wine is a velvet glove in an iron fist. The smooth surface of ripe fruits and rich blackberry flavors, masks the dense tannins that will allow this very great wine to age for many, many years. The acidity and the rich fruit combine with the fine dusty tannins. The wine will surely not be ready to drink before 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2014 Petrus was tasted on the same morning as the 2014 Vieux-Château-Certan and though they are built from different blends, their personalities are quite similar. This is a succinct, not powerful, much more refined and discrete bouquet, gradually unfurling and revealing a subtle sea spray/marine element. The palate is again quite discrete at first and unfolds at a glacial pace. It is beautifully balanced with fine tannin, quite linear and structured, gently building towards a finish that has wonderful salinity (continuing that marine theme). Note: I actually returned to taste this several hours later, because it was so closed earlier on and it did finally open, which is atypical for this Pomerol. It is a wonderful Petrus, but one that will deserve bottle age and decanting.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThe 2014 Petrus has a bouquet that storms from the glass with exotic red cherries, blood orange, strawberry tart and cedar scents, only calming down after several minutes. Rich and opulent – although they are not facets of a truly great Petrus to me. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet core of candied red fruit, fine structure, a 2014 that is letting it all hang out so soon after bottling, which causes me some concern in terms of what it has left in reserve for long-term ageing and evolution. It just does not deliver a knockout blow on the slightly brittle finish, completing a very good Pomerol but in my opinion, it is not the greatest Petrus in recent years. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Petrus comes galloping out of the glass with bold, expressive notions of Black Forest cake, blueberry preserves and Christmas pudding with nuances of molten chocolate, Chinese five spice, candied violets, licorice and kirsch plus wafts of roses and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and fantastically concentrated, the palate has compelling freshness and a solid base of wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins, finishing very long and opulent. The aromatics at this youthful stage are atypical for Petrus and quite stunning—this 2017 is a bombshell! Furthermore, it is a unique style for this estate and one avid collectors should seek out!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPThis delivers a torrent of pure, unadulterated raspberry fruit that extends effortlessly through the finish, while hints of incense, mineral and rooibos tea glisten tantalizingly throughout. Shows terrific cut and precision, with eye-catching detail. Drink now through 2040.Wine Spectator | 98 WSI love the aromatics to this with crushed berries, violets and black olives. Hints of vanilla and some caramel. Decadent. Full-bodied and round with very creamy tannins that melt into the wine. It starts off slowly and and then kicks off a few seconds later. The tannins are extremely polished and refined. Hard not to drink now, but wait. Try after 2025.James Suckling | 98 JSJammy ripe fruit aromas lead to a wine that is powerfully structured and solid. With rich berry flavors and density, the wine is concentrated while also exuberant. The flavors are just developing, with great ripe fruits showing strongly. Drink from 2024.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEDeceptively alluring a few months after bottling, the 2017 Petrus is attractive and nuanced, and yet I get the impression it is going through a rather awkward stage. Floral and blood orange overtones add freshness and inner perfume to a Petrus that will age more on finesse than power. Olivier Berrouet opted for longer skin contact than normal, about 30 days, with pumpovers of one volume of wine per day at the beginning of fermentation. Malolactic fermentation took place in steel. The 2017 spent about 14 months in oak and then four months in tank prior to being bottled in July 2019.Antonio Galloni | 95+ AGThe 2017 Chateau Petrus is, as always, 100% Merlot that’s from the top of the Pomerol plateau. The 2017 is an incredibly elegant, perfumed example from this estate that has terrific cassis, raspberry, and red currants fruits as well as lots of floral and violet hints, medium to full body, a beautiful spine of acidity, and building tannins. It’s not a blockbuster like the 2015 and 2016, yet it’s flawlessly balanced, with stunning purity of fruit and a great, great finish. Give bottles a solid 7-8 years, and it should keep for 20-25+.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

The 2019 Château Pétrus is a behemoth, and I can’t imagine a better marriage of sexy, opulent fruit with purity, precision, and length. Always all Merlot from a single parcel of clay soils, it takes time to unwind in the glass (I followed this bottle for multiple days) and offers a powerful, primordial style in its black cherries, mulberries, smoked tobacco, damp earth, and chocolate, as well as a beautiful floral component that emerges with air. Dense, concentrated, and incredibly rich on the palate, it has a multi-dimensional mouthfeel and sweet yet substantial tannins. Despite plenty of glycerin and opulence on the palate, which certainly makes it fun to taste today, it has a very straight, classic feel that will demand bottle age. It probably needs to be forgotten for 8-10 years and will deliver the goods over the following 50 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDOlivier Berrouet turned out a fabulous Petrus in 2019. A gorgeous, expansive wine, the 2019 opens beautifully over time. There is a feeling of radiance in the 2019 that is impossible to miss. Hints of rose petal, lavender, mint and cinnamon meld effortlessly into a core of red/purplish fruit. At 14.8%, the alcohol is high, but not intrusive. "We worked very hard to extract as gently as possible," Berrouet explained. Readers lucky enough to own the 2019 should plan on cellaring it for a decade or more.Vinous Media | 98 VMA seductive and sensual nose full of ripe and sweetly-perfumed cherry and blackcurrant notes - which are even more expressive and abundant after an hour in the glass. This is such a beguiling wine, changing in texture and fruit profile several times from a first sip of smooth and streamlined, chalky tannins to one filled with bright acidity and succulent juiciness then shifting another gear delivering a palate full of concentrated dark fruits edged with liquorice and black pepper. The tannins are abundant and clearly present, Olivier Berrout director of Petrus says he’s never produced a vintage with such high tannins, but they are wonderfully consistent and well integrated with a lovely powdery element to them. You really feel the structure develop in the mouth, building in complexity and layers with a beautiful perfume and wet stone minerality lingering on the long finish. You have to wait for the reticence and reservation of Petrus in its youth to subside before you see the power and energy here but it’s giving a tantalising glimpse of what its long life holds in store.Decanter | 98 DECGorgeous, offering a pure, concentrated beam of raspberry and boysenberry puree that drives through, with mouthwatering anise, black tea and apple wood accents and a perfectly embedded graphite spine. Features fruit that just won’t quit, picking up extra energy from a savory thread as it moves through. Best from 2025 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 2019 Pétrus is a powerful, heady wine, bursting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, cassis, violets, spices, licorice and kirsch. Full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with an ample core of fruit, lively acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the liqueured finish, it’s a ripe, high-octane Petrus that reflects the influence of a dry, warm growing season on what is essentially a single cépage (Merlot) and a single soil type (clay).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

Purple berry and blackberry aromas with cracked black pepper, violets and lavender. It’s full-bodied and layered and broadens in the mouth. Gorgeous, ripe tannins. Long and thought-provoking. A milestone for the vineyard.James Suckling | 99-100 JSOne of my favorite wines in the vintage is the 2020 Château La Fleur-Petrus, which reminds me slightly of the 2016, even though the growing season was quite different. A blend of mostly Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, its dense purple color is followed by a heavenly, ethereal Pomerol offering a powerful, almost Petrus-like sense of stature and density that carries incredible cassis and currant fruits as well as notes of graphite, crushed stone, chocolate, and violets. Flawlessly balanced on the palate, with a dense, layered mid-palate and building, perfect tannins, I just hope it shows this well from bottle! It should, at a minimum, match – and probably surpass – the 2009, 2016, and 2018.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-100 JDThe tannins clamp in on the opening beats of the wine and then spend the rest of the palate gently relaxing to let the juice out from the tight black fruits. The frame is both tactile and fresh, a brilliant La Fleur Petrus full of character and spice, bedded down but with a sense of energy and uplift. Black chocolate shavings shot through with eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, spices and cigar box - all of which really extend through the finish. Harvest September 10 to 20. A yield of around 42hl/ha. Deep gravels over clay. Drinking Window 2028 - 2045.Decanter | 97 DECVery deep purple-black colored, the 2020 la Fleur-Petrus leaps from the glass with bold expressions of baked black plums, molten licorice, Indian spices and blackberry preserves, plus hints of charcuterie, black olives and crushed rocks with a touch of unsmoked cigars. The full-bodied palate delivers compelling tension to the rich, hedonic black fruits, framed by firm, grainy tannins, finishing very long and tantalizingly savory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2020 La Fleur-Pétrus is wonderfully elegant and polished. Fine tannins give the 2020 its sophisticated feel. Succulent red cherry, cedar, tobacco, smoke and dried herbs all build. A whole range of floral, savory and mineral notes infuse the finish with tons of character. Medium in body and persistent, with real linear energy, the 2020 is all class. La Fleur-Pétrus is, above all else, a wine of understatement and elegance. The 2020 is especially fine.Antonio Galloni | 94-96 AGThe cool clay of this vineyard shows well in the freshness of this impressive wine. It gives the structure that will allow it to age. With richness assured through the tannins, the wine has great promise.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE