Olivier Berrouet, Pétrus' winemaker, April 2017
Pétrus' soil has a 60-cm-deep layer on its upper part containing clay and sand in a 90:10 ratio. This surface is found only at Pétrus and nowhere else in Pomerol! The subsoil is "crasse de fer" and clay. It's hardly surprising that Merlot has a smashing time here, as the growing conditions at Pétrus are just perfect for this grape variety.
Pétrus' vineyard is 11.5 ha and planted with 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The vines are, on average, 35 years old, and the wine is kept for 20 months in 100% new barrels. Since January 2008, Jean-Claude Berrouet's son, Olivier Berrouet, has been the property manager and is responsible for winemaking.
At its best, Pétrus is an incredibly intense, concentrated, nuanced, refined, and extremely multidimensional wine, demanding absolute attention and having one's senses run at full speed. Pétrus does typically shut down quickly after "birth" and should, therefore, not be touched before it has aged for 10–15 years. It is exceptionally long-lived, especially in superb vintages, and can, with advantage, be stored for 25–30 years or even longer.
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Pétrus 2025 (barrel sample) 99-100p
Tasted in April 2026. 100% Merlot, 20 hl/ha. Dense and concentrated, yet graceful with finesse. Intense cherries on the nose and a touch of minerality on the palate. Sensual with exceptional depth, mid-palate, and a long, silky finish. Liquid cashmere once again. I am speechless!
Pétrus 2024 (barrel sample) 95+p
Tasted in April 2025. 100% Merlot. Yield 28 hl/ha. Olivier Berrouet mentioned during my visit to the property that this vintage was challenging to produce, but he was very pleased with the outcome. The wine displays freshness, an intense cherry aroma, delicate fruit notes, and silky tannins on the palate. It’s pure, has a sophisticated touch, and a long finish. This wine remains splendid, despite the oak being slightly dominant on the palate.
Pétrus 2023 (barrel sample) 98p
Tasted in April 2024. 100% Merlot. It's the same ABV as in the 2022 vintage. It is softer and more elegant than in 2022. It has intense notes of black cherries, blueberries, and violets, with velvety tannins, finesse, and incredible complexity. It is sophisticated, focused, and precise, with a refreshing finish. Wonderful effort.
Petrus 2022 100p
Tasted twice - last time in October 2025. Consistent notes. 100% Merlot. 14.5% alcohol. 20 hl/ha. Harvested between the 1st and 7th of September. This wine is "wolf in sheep's clothes". Its texture resembles liquid cashmere, with loads of creamy fruit and velvety tannins. Incredibly complex and sophisticated, with fantastic midpalate and a finish that won't end. Wow, that's a legend in the making!
Pétrus 2021 (barrel sample) 96p
Tasted in April 2022. 100% Merlot. 13% alcohol. Fresh, intense violets, iris, some licorice, raspberries, classy and sophisticated, exquisite fruit and tannin, strong structure, and long aftertaste. A lighter version of wine from this property, which isn't a surprise considering the challenging weather conditions in 2021.
Pétrus 2018 (barrel sample) 100p
Tasted in April 2019. Enormous intensity, enormous complexity, velvety, incredible complexity, sophisticated touch, refinement, richness, and breathtaking length. A true legend in the making.
Pétrus 2017 (barrel sample): 98+p
Tasted in April 2018. It displayed great freshness, purity, stunning complexity, and length. This is going to be a fabulous vintage for this Pomerol jewel.
Pétrus 2016 (barrel sample) 98+p
Tasted in April 2017. Stupendous effort in 2016: seamless wine, very sophisticated, rich, velvety, and precise. A strong candidate for a three-digit score.
Pétrus 2015 (barrel sample) 97-98p
Tasted in April 2016. This sublime wine benefited from four dry months: April, May, June, and July. The harvest was prolonged and finished at the end of September. It was subtle, had much finesse, was sophisticated, and incredibly complex. It's not Pétrus's most potent and concentrated vintage, but 2015 has stunning elegance and richness instead.
Pétrus 2014 (barrel sample) 97p
Tasted in April 2015. It was harvested between September 23 and October 4, yielding only 30 hl/ha. Freshness, sophistication with great complexity, stunning richness, excellent structure, and a fantastic long finish. Among the best wines of the vintage, that's for sure.
Pétrus 2013 (barrel sample) 93-94p
Tasted in March 2014. It was harvested on 2–4 October at only 26 hl/ha, losing around 40% of the potential crop during flowering. The late harvest in 2013 for this property was very beneficial and reflected in the wine. The wine was refined and balanced, with sweet fruit and excellent acidity, structure, and complexity. Excellent effort.
Pétrus 2012 (barrel sample) 95p
Tasted in April 2013. I found 2012 here quite similar to 2011. Elegant style, finesse, refinement, long on the palate. Aromatic black cherries, exquisite balance, velvety fruit/tannin. It has excellent complexity and a sophisticated touch. Harvest finished at Pétrus on October 8 before the arrival of significant rain, which came one week later.
Pétrus 2011 (barrel sample) 95p
Tasted in April 2012. This wine had fresh acidity, delicate berry fruit, discreet oak, and excellent balance. Lighter than usual but with amazing richness and finesse.
Pétrus 2010 (barrel sample) 98-99p
Tasted in April 2011. Grapes obtained 14.5% alcohol, yielded 35 hl/ha, and were harvested between September 27 and October 2. It is an incredibly complex wine, refined, silky, and sophisticated on the palate, with a finish lasting more than 30 seconds. It's amazing stuff, but 2009 was richer and deeper than 2010. It can, however, change with aging. 98-99p.
Pétrus 2009 (barrel sample) 98-100p
Tasted in April 2010. This wine delivered great intensity and depth, with a sophisticated nose of black cherries. It is velvety and very concentrated on the palate, with enormous depth and richness. It's probably the most accessible wine from this property at the "baby" stage I've ever tasted. A future legend.
Pétrus 2007 (barrel sample) 90+p?
Tasted in April 2008. This wine didn't make the headlines at all in April 2008. Relatively subdued and oaky. I guess adding press wine will do Pétrus 2007 a great favor. I haven't had a chance to retaste this wine yet; maybe retasting it would yield much better TNs.
Pétrus 2006 (barrel sample) 95-96p
Tasted in April 2007. Black red. Incredibly aromatic, sophisticated, and extremely well-constructed wine. Massive amounts of dark cherries, blueberries, and ripe tannins. The balance was utterly breathtaking in this wine, but so was the length on the palate. Still, it's just as good as the 2005 version.
Pétrus 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 harvests paid off! Oh-la-la wine.
Pétrus 2003 (barrel sample) 95p
Tasted in April 2004. Very dark, not as strong as usual, with a deep nose of spicy raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Exemplary structure and many layers of everything. It is very refined and sophisticated, with a long aftertaste. It is a stunning wine that can be cherished for 20 more years. The 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 scorching weather, aren't present in this wine.
Petrus 2001 98p
Tasted twice, last time in September 2012. Consistent notes. It is almost black, dense, and compact, with an intense aroma of dark cherries, raspberries, and truffles. There are many layers to everything on the palate, with great depth, beautiful structure, and a high level of fruit concentration. It is all tremendously well put together, and this wine is a delicious experience from beginning to end. The perfect balance in this wine assures a long life, 20–30 years. In September 2012, this wine was tasted from the bottle, confirming 100% of what the barrel sample promised. Intense raspberries with blackberries on the nose and palate, excellent structure, incredible richness, and length.
Pétrus 2000 (barrel sample) 99-100p
Tasted in June 2001. Like Lafleur, Pétrus is an excellent example of the 2000 vintage's heavenly quality. Merlot is outstandingly fantastic. Maybe Pétrus is barely as 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 1999 93p
Tasted in September 2003. This wine is almost an exact copy of 1995 but significantly lighter and less sophisticated. Here we have, for a change, a feminine version of Pétrus. It tastes splendid now, and I will continue with that in the next 10–15 years.
Petrus 1997 86p
Tasted in September 2003. It's an 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 quite tannic. Merlot had major ripeness issues 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 the vintage's raw material. This wine has at least 20 years of eventful life ahead of it.
Petrus 1994, 93p
Tasted in September 2003. It is a terrific and splendid wine for the vintage. Pomerol was the only Bordeaux district producing outstanding wines in 1994. It has great palate depth, is incredibly intense, and has excellent balance. A delicacy for 15-20 years of enjoyment.
Petrus 1992 90p
I tasted it in September 2003 from a magnum. It is surprisingly deep on the palate, with ripe fruit. It has slightly edgy tannins but is a well-made wine despite vintage problems (rain during harvest). It is refined with concentration and length. I will keep it for an additional 5–8 years.
Petrus 1989 99p
Tasted in September 2003. A wolf in sheep's clothing. There is no sign of age in this wine. Extremely sophisticated and incredibly promising. It is very complex, with an enormous length on the palate. Let it rest horizontally for another 10–15 years.
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 the final touch. This vintage is the last in which the wine was filtered. It's just perfect to be consumed today.
Petrus 1976 86p
Tasted in September 2003. Dry, hot fruit, fragile structure, edgy, and not entirely harmonious. It's not a big deal, or any deal at all. Disappointing wine for Pétrus' standard. I think this wine will fall apart very soon.
Petrus 1974 88p
Tasted in September 2003. Red-brown. Well-preserved prune marmalade. It holds on to ingredients quite well, with strong tannins but not edgy. Fine balance. This wine is just up to standard in this challenging vintage. Ready to drink now and won't improve with additional keeping.
Petrus 1967 95p
Tasted in November 2019. Despite this vintage experiencing lousy weather and unripe grapes, Pétrus made the best wine of the vintage. Our bottle showed an incredibly complex, sophisticated, rich, and fruity wine.
Petrus 1964 99p
I enjoyed it during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier, alongside other excellent wines, in April 2014. It seemed like a bottle kept under pristine conditions: youthful dark color, almost black ink, powerful, extraordinary complexity, structure, depth, and length. Despite already being 50 years on its birth certificate, this wine will easily live for another 50 years!! Heavenly stuff.
Petrus 1955 97p
I enjoyed it during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier, alongside other excellent wines, in March 2015. It is powerful and well-equipped with lush fruit, tannin, and acidity. It has breathtaking richness and depth and a long, long finish. Great, great bottle!
Petrus 1947 100p
Tasted in September 2003. Belgian bottling. It was, after all, a fantastic finale to the tasting, and the wine was a true showstopper. It was a wine with a fabulously delicate and intense nose of ripe berries mixed with truffles, chocolate, and cacao. Fabulous everywhere and extraordinarily sublime. There is still plenty of life in this artwork of the wine.