Pétrus - Pomerol 2017 (6L)
Wine Spectator: 98 Points
This delivers a torrent of pure unadulterated raspberry fruit that extends effortlessly through the finish while hints of incense mineral and rooibos tea glisten tantalizingly throughout. Shows terrific cut and precision with eye-catching detail. Drink now through 2040.
Wine Advocate: 98+ Points
Deep garnet-purple in color the 2017 Petrus comes galloping out of the glass with bold expressive notions of Black Forest cake blueberry preserves and Christmas pudding with nuances of molten chocolate Chinese five spice candied violets licorice and kirsch plus wafts of roses and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied rich spicy and fantastically concentrated the palate has compelling freshness and a solid base of wonderfully ripe velvety tannins finishing very long and opulent. The aromatics at this youthful stage are atypical for Petrus and quite stunning?this 2017 is a bombshell! Furthermore it is a unique style for this estate and one avid collectors should seek out! I asked Pétrus winemaker Olivier Berrouet what he felt had changed about this 2017 since I last tasted it from barrel. "During primeurs the wine was based on its aromatic side. With further time in barrel the structure came through." He hit the nail on the head. I remember clearly how forward the wine appeared when I tasted it from barrel?a little blousy even. Now in bottle it has gained backbone layers and that underlying gravitas that makes Pétrus what it is. And yet this is an exotic downright flamboyant expression of the vineyard. I don't generally like surprises but I loved this one! ?We had a difficult year? said Pétrus winemaker Olivier Berrouet. ?Frost drought then rain in June and rain in September. We were not very happy with the maturity of the berries until we harvested then the green taste went and the aromatics during vinification were very expressive. But during aging the wines started to close?until March when they started to open again.? Berrouet believes 2017 to sit somewhere between 2015 and 2016 in terms of character. Not inclined to agree I asked him to elaborate. ?There is a great purity to 2017? he explained. "We had very small 1.1-gram Merlot berries. There was not much juice and careful extraction was needed.? Like with many of the 2017s Pétrus has produced a wine this year that really has no recent vintage comparisons. ?The quality of the tannins young is the key point to preserve the aging? Berrouet went on to mention stating that he did a longer maceration in 2017 but used very gentle extraction?mostly only skin contact with just one minute of pump overs each day. ?If you cover all the complexity or style your wine becomes common and you lose the typicity? he added. The 2017 is an unusually showy Pétrus that seems to be missing some of the more cerebral elements of this estate's greatest vintages giving way to a sensuality that flaunts itself perhaps a touch too much at this early stage. It leaves me wanting just slightly for the secrets it usually conceals in tightly wound layers in its youth and then like Scheherazade slowly reveals over time. Nonetheless one cannot deny that this is as ever a compelling wine which thanks to Berrouet?s skill remains impeccably true to its singular terroir. I am never less than amazed to experience what this vineyard is going to give next and therefore this is one of those great wines of the world to which I shudder to attach numbers. Published: Mar 16 2020
Vinous: 95+ Points
Deceptively alluring a few months after bottling the 2017 Petrus is attractive and nuanced and yet I get the impression it is going through a rather awkward stage. Floral and blood orange overtones add freshness and inner perfume to a Petrus that will age more on finesse than power. Olivier Berrouet opted for longer skin contact than normal about 30 days with pumpovers of one volume of wine per day at the beginning of fermentation. Malolactic fermentation took place in steel. The 2017 spent about 14 months in oak and then four months in tank prior to being bottled in July 2019.
vWine Enthusiast: 94-96 Points
While this wine is certainly sumptuous it also has freshness and an almost a herbal edge that lifts the dense fruit and ripe tannins giving the palate vivacity and brightness. It is a fine achievement with considerable power while also having an inherent lightness. It will certainly age well so drink from 2025.
