Petrus 2016

Petrus 2016: Tasting note of a legendary vintage of Petrus

The producer

Petrus is a legendary Pomerol wine, which comes from the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region in France. While its name first appeared in written records in 1837, it was only after the acquisition of the chateau by Jean-Pierre Moueix that Petrus wine became one of the most recognized and sought-after around the world. During the tenure of the Moueix family, the original 20% Cabernet Franc plantings were uprooted to make way for 100% Merlot, which is now the only grape variety to appear in the estate's iconic wine. Beginning in the 1970's, Christian Moueix has also pioneered a reliance on organic viticulture at Petrus.

The vineyard

Situated in the Pomerol appellation, the Petrus vineyard covers 28.4 acres (11.4 hectares) and is planted exclusively with the Merlot wine grape since 2011. The vines stretch their roots deep into a layer of very rare blue clay soil over subsoils of hard iron (crasse de fer) at an altitude of 40 meters on the Pomerol plateau. Petrus is actually the only Pomerol vineyard to be composed entirely of blue clay soils, which ensure optimal drainage and force the root systems of the vines to spread out and cover more ground. The vines of Petrus are quite old, as the viticultural team lets them reach 70 years of age before replanting. Today, the soil is treated exclusively with environmentally friendly organic fertilizers.

Vinification and aging

Following a strictly manual harvest, the grapes are brought to the winery, where they are destemmed and gently crushed. Fermentation is carries out in concrete vats with 15-21 days of maceration, characterized by gentle extractions. The wines are pumped over once per day. After maceration, the wine is transfered to another vat for malolactic and then blended. The blended wine ages in oak barrels, of which roughly 50% are new, for a period of 18 to 20 months (depending on the vintage). Most vintages of Petrus wine are not filtered before bottling.

The vintage

Petrus 2016 is considered a legendary vintage of Chateau Petrus, rated a perfect 100/100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

The blend

The Petrus 2016 is a 100% Merlot wine.

The tasting

Color

Petrus 2016 displays an intense, purple-black color in the glass.

Nose

On the nose, this Petrus 2016 reveals seductive and layered aromas of blackberry fruit, black plums and baked blueberries. The black and blue fruit core is complemented by notes of violet, dark chocolate, licorice and cinnamon, along with subtle touches of pencil lead.

Palate

Petrus 2016 is a full-bodied Pomerol wine with a densely packed palate and firm, grainy tannins bound to soften over time. This vintage shows a bold freshness, remarkable generosity in flavors and a finish with lingers for a very long time.