2017 Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux

Description

One of the very few in the vintage where there is actual flesh on the bones, and lots of it. The danger in dry years is that tannins can get too angular, and the overall feeling too austere, but here they have successfully managed to maintain juice and aromatics. A three-week harvest at Petrus, a long window for this property where the terroir is so even. There is an awful lot to recommend here and is easily one of the best wines of the year. The aromatic side is extremely enjoyable, with touches of fresh hay, lovely gentle spice, tons of dark fruits, cinnamon and complexity. Extremely charming, with lots to say for itself.

Drink 2025 - 2042

Jane Anson, Decanter.com (February 2020)

Colour Red

Sweetness Dry

Vintage 2017

Maturity Not ready

Grape List Merlot

Body Full Bodied

Producer Petrus

About this wine

Merlot

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.

Find out more

Pomerol

With 150 or so producers and roughly 740 hectares of vineyards, the smallest of Bordeaux's major appellations is home to myriad bijou domaines – many making little more than 1,000 cases per annum. If the topography and architecture of Pomerol are typical, the style of its wines is anything but. The best vineyards are planted on a seam of rich clay extending across the raised plateau of Pomerol from the boundary of St Emilion.

Find out more