Petrus 2008

Majestic in style, with tannins of excellent quality and freshness, dense, compact and long, fiery too: a superb bottle, though it naturally needs a long time to mature.

This has texture and range that's a step up from the pack, with a gorgeous, silky feel to the ripe but restrained cherry, raspberry and damson plum notes that are layered with hints of black tea, incense and mineral. The long finish is more about poise than power. Lovely. Drink now through 2020.

Gorgeous, smooth wine, perhaps even more intense than in past vintages. The tannins are totally enveloped by the ripe plum and damson fruits. Complex, powerful, layered and opulent, this is a wine for the long term.

Tight and firm, yet with incredibly embracing tannins that are still in their early phase of evolution, even though it is 100% Merlot. It's a trick that basically nobody else in Pomerol can pull off to quite this extent. Some liquorice kicks through, along with dark plum and blackberry fruits, touches of white pepper and coffee bean. Extremely enjoyable and still extremely young.

There's so much floral and berry character on the nose and palate here. It's full-bodied and very dense with lots of fine and delicate tannins. Winemaker Oliver Berrouet calls it a classic Bordeaux in style and I have to agree with him because of the fine tannins, fresh acidity, and beautiful reserve fruit. Lovely sweet berry and chocolate finish to the wine. Try in in five to six years.

Dark crimson with some development. The fruit is a little overripe. But there is an attractive savoury edge to this wine which is clearly very complex. Lots of density but it just lacks a little bit of natural freshness. Very well done. (JR)

It has been about 5 years since I lasted this and time has been good to this wine. Not quite as concentrated as I had hoped, still, the spring flowers, violets, earth, spice, licorice, plum, and cherry nose get your attention. Medium/full-bodied, elegant, soft, refined, and vibrant, the ripe, sweet plums, cherries, dark cocoa, and earthy characteristics shine through in the finish. This is only now coming alive, so it should improve and offer pleasure for at least another 2 decades.

Deep purple-ruby colour. A delicate bouquet of raspberries, strawberries and coconut, followed by milk chocolate, fine pepper notes and a delicate perfume. On the palate, it’s sweet and again red-berry driven, with a tightly knit tannic framework; only on the finish does it show some reserve for a potential extra point. Over the next 10 to 15 years, though, Pétrus will be far from the first choice—certainly not at that price.

Deep purple-ruby. A delicate bouquet of raspberry, strawberry and coconut, with white chocolate, finely peppery notes and a perfumed touch behind. On the palate it stays red-berry driven, tightly knit with supporting tannins, showing a hint of grenadine in its fine sweetness. Only on the finish do its still-held-back reserves come into play, giving it good potential and the leeway to earn an extra point. That said, one has to admit that in this bracket there are far less expensive competitors that can easily keep up, or even (for now still?) offer more for 10 to 15 years than this Pétrus. 08: tasted again in autumn. It seems that this year the Moueix winner is called Trotanoy. The Pétrus is quite playful with lots of fruit, showing subtle ginger and a cake-fruit note within its sweetness.

We love the intensity of the black fruit, framed by a complex aromatic palette where violet, sandalwood, clove and Sichuan pepper sit side by side. Great potential and a fine sense of classicism.

Dense, refined attack, lovely mid-palate, complex and elegant, with a beautiful licorice finish.

Logo on the cork: CB Dark colour, with normal intensity and showing some development. Lactic and animal nose. Odd! The palate is smooth and opulent up to the mid-palate. Then the wine falls short, combining liquorice with animal notes. Normal length.

It is hard to call Petrus a “sleeper of the vintage,” but the 2008 will merit more attention than most consumers would think. Low yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare resulted in only 25,000 bottles of this beauty. A wine of great intensity (possibly the most concentrated wine of the vintage), this 100% Merlot boasts a dark purple color as well as a sweet perfume of mocha, caramel, black cherries, black currants, earth and forest floor. Deep, unctuously textured, full-bodied and pure, it will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and should drink well for 25-30+ years.