Petrus, Pomerol, 2001

Olivier Berrouet explained that he had to be 'very careful with extractions' in 2011. There was '10-15% more tannin than in 2010'. He went on to say that 2011 is a 'classical, good, balanced, pleasurable vintage' for Petrus. 'We could have made a tannic monster, but that is not the objective; we want to make a balanced, elegant wine'. Despite missing approximately 120 hours of sunshine, not much sorting was necessary at Petrus, unlike many estates, but 2011. Olivier normally takes samples three days before tasting, but the 2011 is quite volatile at this stage, so the sample had been taken only hours before our tasting, so our note should not be seen as a good reflection of the finished wine, just what we tasted at that moment. Wonderful purity on the nose; perfumed, mineral, utterly charming. The palate is awash with sumptuous merlot fruit, sweet plums and cherry liqueur. Beautifully balanced with a fine texture, this is very smart, but lacks a little Petrus wow-factor at this stage.