Petrus 2017

Petrus 2017: Tasting note of a decadent vintage of Petrus

The producer

Petrus is an iconic Pomerol wine, hailing from the Right Bank of France's Bordeaux wine region. Although the 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 Peturs 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 30 days of maceration, a bit longer than usual. The wines are pumped over once per day for a gentle extraction. 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 2017 is considered a decadent vintage of Chateau Petrus, rated 98 points by James Suckling and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

The blend

The Petrus 2017 is a 100% Merlot wine.

The tasting

Color

Petrus 2017 reveals in the glass an intense purple-garnet color.

Nose

The Petrus 2017 dazzles with its bold and expressive bouquet, full of crushed berry, black cherry and blueberry aromas. These fruit aromas are beautifully accented by hints of candied violets, melted chocolate, licorice, caramel and cinnamon. A very complex and powerful nose.

Palate

On the palate, the Petrus 2017 presents a rounded structure with a full body and creamy, sumptous tannins that seem to melt on the tongue. Overall, this wine is beautifully balanced with a fantastic finish revealing hints of spice.