© 2003-2008 I.Litwar
Pétrus' soil has a
Subsoil is ”crasse de fer” and clay. It can barely surprise anyone, that Merlot has a smashing time here, because growing conditions at Pétrus are just perfect for this grape variety.
Petrus' vineyard is
At its best, Pétrus is an incredibly intense, concentrated, nuance-rich, refined and extremely multidimensional wine, which demands absolute attention and one’s senses running at full speed. Pétrus does normally shut down quickly after ”birth” and should therefore not be touched before it has aged for 10-15 years. It is extremely long-lived, especially in the superb vintages, and can with advantage be stored for 25-30 years or even longer.
Petrus 2007 (barrel sample) 90+p?
This wine didn’t make the headlines at all in April 2008. Rather subdued and oaky. I guess adding press wine will do Petrus 2007 a really great favour.
Petrus 2006 (barrel sample) 95-96p
Tasted in April 2007. Black red. Incredibly aromatic, sophisticated and incredibly well constructed wine. Huge amounts af dark cherries/blueberries and ripe tannin. The balance was completely breathtaking in this wine, but so was the length on the palate. Still, in my opinion, it’s not better than 2005 version.
Petrus 2005 (barrel sample) 98-100p
Tasted in April 2006. Well, not quite as gracious as Lafleur, but there was an enormous concentration of everything, unbelievable nuance richness and extreme depth. Silky aftertaste. Early harvest paid really off! Oh-la-la wine.
Petrus 2003 95p
Tasted in April 2004. Very dark, not as strong as usual, deep nose of spicy raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Exemplary structure and many layers of everything. Very refined and sophisticated with ling aftertaste. A stunning wine, which can be cellared for 20 years. Wine-team at Pétrus chose the time of the harvest perfectly, for nuances of cooked fruit, marmalade and dry tannin, which many properties in Pomerol suffered from in 2003 because of the extremely hot weather, aren't present in this wine.
Petrus 2000 99-100p
Tasted in June 2001. Like Lafleur, Pétrus is an astonishing example of 2000 vintage’s heavenly quality. Merlot is simply outstandigly fantastic. Maybe Pétrus is barely so charismatic and monumental as Lafleur just now, but after 15-20 years, the difference between those two wines will be zeroed and Pétrus can match Lafleur at every level.
Petrus 2001 97p
Tasted in April 2002. Almost black red, dense and compact with intense aroma of aroma dark cherries, raspberries and truffles. There are many layers of everything on the palate, great depth, beautiful structure and big concentration of fruit. It all is tremendously put together and this wine is delicious experience from the beginning to the end. The perfect balance in this wine assures long life – 20-30 years.
Petrus 1999 93p
Tasted in September 2003. This wine is almost an exact copy of 1995, but significantly lighter and not so sophisticated. Here we have for a change a feminine version of Pétrus. It tastes really splendid already now and will continue with that in the next 10-15 years.
Tasted in September 2003. Elegant but tart wine. Not the usual concentration and weight. This wine tastes somewhat disconnected. Not my cup of tea.
Petrus 1996 88p
Tasted in September 2003. Not exactly in balance, tart, light and in the whole quite tannic. Merlot had big problems with ripeness in this vintage and you can taste it.
Petrus 1995 98p
Tasted in September 2003. Black red, intense and dense. Truffles everywhere, extremely concentrated, classic with enormous length and aftertaste. This is Pétrus at its apogee! Perfect exploitation of vintage’s raw material. This wine has at least 20 years of eventful life ahead.
Tasted in September 2003. Surprisingly deep on the palate with ripe fruit. Slightly edgy tannin but in the whole a well-made wine, in spite of vintage’s problems (rain during harvest). Fine concentration and length. Will keep for additional 5-8 years.
Petrus 1989 99p
Tasted in September 2003. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. No sign of age in this wine. Extremely sophisticated and incredibly promising. Very complex and with enormous length on the palate. Let it rest horizontally for 10-15 years more.
Petrus 1985 94p
Tasted in September 2003. Very deep on the nose and palate. Perfectly ripe fruit with toasty character, lots of nuances and beautiful length on the palate. Superbly balanced. It’s a stunning Pétrus, but there’s a feeling of missing final touch. This vintage is the last one, where filtration of the wine was done. Just perfect to be consumed today.
Petrus 1976 86p
Tasted in September 2003. Dry, hot fruit, kind of fragile structure, edgy and not quite harmonious. Not a big deal – not any deal at all. Disappointing wine for Pétrus’ standard. I think this wine will decease very soon.
Petrus 1974 88p
Tasted in September 2003. Red brown. Well-preserved prune marmalade, Holds on ingredients quite well, strong tannin but not edgy. Fine balance. This wine is just up to standard in this difficult vintage. Ready to drink now and won’t improve by additional keeping.
Petrus 1947 100p
Tasted in September 2003. Belgian bottling. It was after all a fantastic finale of the tasting – a showstopper. It was a wine with fabulously fine and intense nose of ripe berries mixed with truffles, chocolate and cacao. Fabulous everywhere and extraordinary sublime. There is still plenty of life in this art work of a wine.
One of the best vintages of Petrus made!
Back to main page