Petrus 2009

Exquisitely spicy already at this early stage, with tannins that are as dense and firm as they are perfectly silky, delicacy and power are flawlessly balanced: magnificent, legendary, and it will continue to bring immense pleasure at this stage of its long life.

This offers a beautiful balance between its two sides: dark fig, roasted plum and toast flavors versus racy raspberry, cassis and perfumy black tea notes. Silky overall, but with terrific latent grip and a mouthwatering minerality that drives through the finish, pulling out extra fruit paste and charred spice hints. Very, very impressive range. Best from 2018 through 2035. 2,915 cases made.

97-99 Barrel sample. Rich, sweet and concentrated, with a definite spicy character and sweet, soft tannins. This is richer than many Pétrus in the past, textured like velvet, but with final acidity.

Truly flavoursome, the blackberry, raspberry puree and rich black cherry fruits here are dense, generous and fully ripe, but manage to retain a savoury rosemary, coffee bean and black olive edge. It makes you smile involuntarily, in that way that great wine does. You almost want to forbid people from eating anything with this wine, at least for the first glass, and certainly forbid them from putting it on a table with other trophy wines where its impact will be softened. It demands - and should receive - full concentration. Textured slate runs through the mid-palate and brings a jolt of minerality through the finish. You could drink this today after carafing but you just know that it's barely out of the starting blocks.

Tons of truffle and chocolate make this lush and fleshy Pomerol very seductive. The power and concentration are impressive, but right at the opulent and silky finish there's just a hint of warmth from the alcohol. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

The 2009 Petrus is surprisingly backward on the nose compared directly with the 2009 Le Pin, demanding a lot of coaxing. Initially broody, it then begins to flourish with wild strawberry, cranberry, crushed stone and black truffle, all beautifully defined but very succinct. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins lending an almost cashmere texture. Hints of leather and mocha infused the mainly red fruit, but where this Petrus really shines is within the unearthly precision on the finish and the enormously long aftertaste. Brilliant. Tasted at BI Wines' & Spirits Ten Year On tasting.

2009 Petrus is deep ruby with purple tints at the rim of the glass. Spice, plums, blackberries, and blueberries, with cinnamon, clay, mint, mocha, and kirsch, make up the complex perfume. From a blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the wine is rich, concentrated and packed with surreal levels of glycerin. This viscous, thrilling treat provides a seamless, intensely pure finish of spice, jammy cherries, and chocolate. 98-100 Pts

Rich purple-garnet. Crazy bouquet: warm cassis fruit, lots of ripe mulberries, delicate herbal nuances and a whisper of incense, like pralines made from perfectly ripe Merlot—complex and cozily warm, without a trace of dried fruit. On the palate, an orgy like the 1998 back then, its fullness reminiscent of a Burgundian 1990: plenty of power, a well-supporting acidity that truly makes the extract explode, candied lemon peel, caramel, hazelnut oil and again chocolate tones from the finest cocoa beans. A legendary, heroic Petrus for the history books, destined to climb exorbitant spheres in every respect—price included.

Former, now-retired Moueix oenologist Jean-Claude Berrouet recalls: “In the past we always picked over two afternoons, to gain a few extra hours of sunshine and a bit more concentration. Today it’s more about the morning hours, to capture as much fruit and freshness as possible. To me, Pétrus 2005 is a kind of forerunner of the even richer 2009.” His son and current Pétrus oenologist Oliver Berrouet (since January 2008) adds: “We brought Merlot grapes of incredible quality and fairly high alcohol potential into the cellar. And Merlot on the black clay is, after all, what makes Pétrus so incomparable. Admittedly, in truly great—or hot—years, a few percent of Cabernet Franc is also blended in. Perhaps we’ll add a symbolic percentage here, but that decision hasn’t been made yet.” Barrel tasting: Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with a violet rim. Crazy bouquet: warm cassis fruit, lots of very ripe mulberries, a hint of herbs and a delicate yet perceptible incense note; praline-like tones from very ripe Merlot; complex and comfortingly warm, without a trace of dried fruit. On the palate, an orgy like the 1998, with a fullness reminiscent of Burgundian 1990: plenty of power, a well-supporting acidity that makes the extract truly explode and then takes over the whole palate; candied lemon peel, caramel, hazelnut oil, and again chocolate nuances from the most delicate cocoa sources. A legendary Pétrus that will climb exorbitant spheres—especially in price. But it is also, unquestionably, one of the very best Pomerols and belongs among the historic, heroic Pétrus vintages. (20/20). October 2010: In the Pétrus cellar I met Olivier Berrouet. He still couldn’t tell me definitively whether the three barrels of Cabernet Franc would end up in Pétrus after all. But he granted me another barrel sample: a mouthful of Merlot with lots of richness and melt, superb chocolate-ginger notes, extremely long. The tannins are already fully integrated. I found it damn hard to spit out this tasting sip. (20/20). 13: Bright garnet with ruby reflections. A monumental bouquet—not monumentally powerful, but monumentally refined: creamy, a note of white pepper, pale noble woods, ginger, coconut, even a very fine hint of cinnamon, delicate vanillin, ripe plums, cocoa powder; on the nose it suggests a certain readiness for drinking and enjoyment. I took the full tasting measure into my mouth and kept it there for quite a while: compact texture, intense yet surprisingly gentle astringency, finely grained—indeed racy—at the core; with slurping, countless layers emerge, still a touch upfront, tightly knit and endlessly long in the persistent finish. A regal Pétrus, benefiting from the unusual Merlot fullness of 2009. It’s not just richness—there is balancing flesh and dancing muscle at play too. Sadly, few wine freaks will ever get their hands on this Pétrus 2009—neither young nor mature.

Fresh, fragrant, complex, elegant bouquet with cherries, strawberries, blueberries, mocha, caramel, a delicate touch of liquorice, vanilla, praline. Balanced, densely structured, multi-layered, elegant, aromatic palate with a silky texture, dense, refined fruit, plenty of very fine tannin, and an intense, concentrated aromatic profile with cedar and currants. Endless, full, fresh, aromatic finish. An unbelievably elegant powerhouse. 20/20 2017 - 2050

To produce the 2009 vintage at Pétrus, one Berrouet (Olivier, the son) succeeded another Berrouet (Jean-Claude, the father). A smooth transition, which is reminiscent of the smoothness of the tannins in this blend of pure merlot, beautifully oaked. Gripping, intense fruit that envelops the palate. This wine will fly off the shelves!

Smooth, with a superb, expressive mid-palate—Merlot at its quintessence. The small proportion of Cabernet Franc (2%) may be added. Harvest on October 1st, whereas harvests have been early so far. The 2 hectares of young vines were harvested on September 17th and 18th.

Logo on the cork: CB Dark, intense colour, slightly evolved. Intense, refined nose, fruity, ripe, subtle and creamy. Airy on the attack, but a little restrained on the mid-palate; flavoursome and melting, the wine softly caresses the palate, supple and refined, with a slight lack of power. Finish with somewhat marked tannins. In hindsight, this profile surprises me for this growth and this vintage. Bottle? Medium length.

An opulent Petrus very much in the stylistic family of the 1990, this 100% Merlot has a dense plum/purple color and a sweet nose of mulberries, black cherries, some subtle toast and licorice as well as a floral element. A wine of great intensity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and full-bodied, stunning concentration, the 2009 Petrus is everything one would expect of it. Given the sweetness of its tannin, much like the 1990, I suspect this wine will always be “open for business,” appealing even in its youth. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2050+. This is one of the larger productions of Petrus over recent years, with nearly 3,000 cases of this vintage turned out by proprietor Jean Moueix.