Petrus 1996

Proprietor Christian Moueix's 1996s have turned out well in the bottle. The 1996 Petrus is a big, monolithic, foursquare wine with an impressively opaque purple colour, and sweet berry fruit intermixed with earth, pain grille, and coffee scents. Full-bodied and muscular, with high levels of tannin, and a backward style, this wine (less than 50% of the production was bottled as Petrus) will require patience. It is a mammoth example. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035

Wild aromas of crushed fruit, forest flower and wild mushrooms. Full-bodied, with incredibly velvety tannins that go on and on. Lovely and exciting fruit. Gorgeous, seductive wine. Hard to resist now. Better than I remember.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2007.

Early maturity, midway through, but still very deep purple. Open bouquet, already in full maturity, red plums, delicate fig notes, coffee roasting notes, noble wood, chocolate, peach stone, remarkably complex and spicy. On the palate firm, fleshy, compact, but with fairly fine tannins, persistent finish, plenty of power, black tea notes and dried plums.

Sweet, full, delicate, rich and silky bouquet with dried fruits, raisins, chocolate. Dense, complex, massive palate with dense structure and very good aromaticity. Very long, dense, full finish. 19/20 drink - 2030

Logo on the cork: No logo Dark colour of medium intensity and evolved character. Fine nose with fresh and subtle fruit. Juicy on the attack, soft on the development, with a taste evoking syrah and a body without harshness. Despite its power, the wine finishes long, full-bodied and noble. Delicious!