critic reviews
The 2020 Petrus has a pure, delineated and focused bouquet with black cherries, rose petal and crushed stone scents. The palate is medium-bodied and mineral-driven, with finely chiseled tannins and a sapid, marine-influenced finish that retains superb tension. Quite regal. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
As I observed to Olivier Berrouet, it's hardly very original to find a wine critic extolling the virtues of this Pomerol reference point; and yet, whether one likes it or not, there's no denying that the 2020 Petrus is a brilliant achievement and indeed one of the very finest vintages at this address over the last two decades. Unwinding in the glass with a deep bouquet of dark berries, cherries and cassis mingled with hints of exotic spices, violets and vine smoke, it's full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with huge depth at the core, exquisitely refined tannins and a youthfully reserved, even restrained profile despite its power and size. This serious, classically proportioned Petrus is a monument in the making.
The 2020 Petrus is deep garnet-purple in color. It erupts from the glass with a fragrance bomb of fresh black raspberries, preserved plums, wild blueberries, and candied violets, plus suggestions of cinnamon toast, molten licorice, and tilled soil. The rich, dense, full-bodied palate is completely coated in decadent black fruit preserves and exotic spicy flavors, lifted by red berry accents and floral notes, and supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing long with the mineral sparks coming through. This is an epic.
Petrus plays at the very top of the vintage and is a serious, textured and knitted down take on its character. There are big tannins here, and you need to wait for the fleshy and creamy cassis and bilberry fruit to appear. Smoked caramel and cocoa bean add a gourmet edge, and the complexity comes through in the evolution of texture and flavours - the tannins become almost chalky after a few minutes, as the lightness and air underneath the fruit becomes clear. Exceptional, a clever wine that needs times and air and has unquestionable staying power, with a brush of bitter almond giving focus on the finish. 50% new oak, 39hl/h yield, 3.6ph. Harvest September 5 to 18.