Olivier Berrouet, Petrus' winemaker, April 2017
Pétrus' soil has a 60-cm-deep layer containing clay and sand in a ratio of 90:10 on its upper part. This surface is only found at Pétrus and in no other places in Pomerol! The subsoil is "crasse de fer" and clay. It can barely surprise anyone that Merlot has a smashing time here because the growing conditions at Pétrus are just perfect for this grape variety.
Petrus' 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 (former cellarmaster at Petrus) son, Olivier Berrouet, has been the property manager and responsible for the winemaking.
At its best, Pétrus is an incredibly intense, concentrated, nuance-rich, refined, and extremely multidimensional wine, demanding absolute attention and one's senses running 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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Petrus 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 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 (barrel sample) 99-100p
Tasted in April 2023. 100% Merlot. 14.5% alcohol. 20 hl/ha. Harvested between the 1st and 7th of September. Liquid cashmere, velvety fruit, and tannin. Incredibly complex, sophisticated, focused, and precise. Wow, a legend in the making! 99-100p.
Petrus 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.
Petrus 2018 (barrel sample) 100p
Tasted in April 2019. Enormous intensity, enormous complexity, everything velvety, incredible complexity, sophisticated touch, refinement, richness, and breathtaking length. A true legend in the making.
Petrus 2017 (barrel sample): 98+p
Tasted in April 2018. It displayed great freshness, complexity, purity, and stunning complexity and length. This is going to be a fabulous vintage for this Pomerol jewel.
Petrus 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.
Petrus 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 Petrus's most potent and concentrated vintage, but 2015 has stunning elegance and richness instead.
Petrus 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.
Petrus 2013 (barrel sample) 93-94p
Tasted in March 2014. It was harvested on 2–4 October at only 26 hl/ha and lost 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.
Petrus 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 Petrus on October 8 before the arrival of significant rain, which came one week later.
Petrus 2011 (barrel sample) 95p
Tasted in April 2012. This wine had fresh acidity, delicate berry fruit, discrete oak, and excellent balance. Lighter than usual but with amazing richness and finesse.
Petrus 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 more than 30-second finish. It's amazing stuff, but 2009 was richer and deeper than 2010. It can, however, change with aging. 98-99p.
Petrus 2009 (barrel sample) 98-100p
Tasted in April 2010. This wine brought great intensity, depth, and 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 at the "baby" stage from this property I've ever tasted. A future legend.
Petrus 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 Petrus 2007 a great favor. I didn't have a chance to retaste this wine yet; maybe retasting would give much better TNs.
Petrus 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 tannin. 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.
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 harvests paid off! Oh-la-la wine.
Petrus 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, red, dense, and compact, with an intense aroma of dark cherries, raspberries, and truffles. There are many layers of everything on the palate with great depth, beautiful structure, and a big fruit concentration. It all is tremendously put together, and this wine is a delicious experience from the beginning to the 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.
Petrus 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 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 of it.
Petrus 1994, 93p
Tasted in September 2003. It is a terrific and splendid wine for the vintage. Pomerol was the only district in Bordeaux producing outstanding wines in 1994. It has great depth on the palate, 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 tannin 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 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 the final touch. This vintage is the last one where the filtration of the wine was done. 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 tannin 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 95 p
Tasted in November 2019. Despite this vintage experiencing lousy weather and unripe grapes, Petrus 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 with 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 50 years on its birth certificate already, this wine will easily live for another 50 years!! Heavenly stuff.
Petrus 1955 97p
I enjoyed it during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier with 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 extraordinary sublime. There is still plenty of life in this artwork of the wine.