2014 Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
50% new oak. Oliver Berrouet, winemaker.
Smoky, grilled depths of black cherry, damson, and raspberry, fleshy yet reserved, stands out among the Pomerols for its subtle complexity; there is still plenty of give in those tannins, still a ton to reveal, revelling in its layers, grip and length, at once intense and concentrated and yet caressing in its tannic structure. A beautiful Petrus that shows why this wine can excel even in vintages that are more challenging for the appellation as a whole, but I suggest holding on to it for a few more years yet.
Drink 2024 - 2042
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (February 2024)
Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.
The 2014 Petrus has a slightly more extroverted bouquet compared directly with Lafleur. Crushed strawberry mixes with cranberry, orange rind and light cedar scents. With aeration, there are hints of dark chocolate and wild fennel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very cohesive and fresh. I feel that this Petrus has tightened up in recent months, which is a positive feature, as I was concerned that it might be advancing too quickly. As such, the finish has more brightness, tension and backbone. Excellent.
Drink 2024 - 2050
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (March 2024)
New oak is 50%
The 2014 Petrus possesses remarkable density and power, with superb overall depth and an explosive sense of energy that is impossible to miss. Scents of violet, spice and rose petal open up in the glass before the fruit totally takes over. Broad and resonant throughout, Pétrus is one of the bigger, richer wines readers will come across in 2014. The harvest at Petrus took place between September 23 and October 4. Winemaker Olivier Berrouet gave the 2014 15 days on the skins, opting for what he describes as very gentle extractions.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (April 2015)
Tasted blind
Mid garnet. Cedary, leafy and a suggestion of dried fruits even though the overall impression is one of freshness—some cigar box and spice, but all subtle. Lovely fruit depth. Notable acidity, yet not out of kilter. Should continue to age well. A real beauty in this vintage.
Drink 2024 - 2038
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (February 2024)
A wine evincing true enlightenment. It’s floral on the nose and also shows blackberries, stones, minerals and cedar. Full-bodied, yet its so fine-grained and tight. So, so long. It builds like a waterfall on the finish. The tannins are powerful yet superbly integrated and harmonious. Needs four to five years in bottle.
Drink in 2023
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (February 2017)
Strongly scented nose with the faintest hint of tertiary aromas, a soft coffee, vanilla, herbal aspect. Supple and juicy, really quite grippy and intense, not weighty, but this carries power and flavour really well. Strong and intense in terms of the aspects on show, vibrant blackcurrant, liquorice spiced black cherry, and lots of dark fruit notes with some tobacco underneath. Still feels as if it hasn’t quite hit its stride, a little tense and compact, but the bones of an amazing wine are there. I love the purity but more so the detail to the tannins, they’re present and give structure and tang, but are so well worked. Long finish. Really profound.
Drink 2024 - 2044
Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com
About this WINE
Petrus
Petrus is a wine estate in Pomerol on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. It is among the most celebrated and recognisable wines in the world.
While the estate can trace its history to at least 1837, it flew relatively under the radar until around the 20th century. Madame Loubat, who became the sole owner in 1945, felt that the estate was truly special, and her efforts were instrumental in establishing Petrus on the world stage. She also appointed Jean-Pierre Moueix as the exclusive agent; he and his sons Jean-François and Christian were key in building the estate’s modern reputation. The Moueix family became majority owners here in 1969. In 2018, they were joined by American-Colombian Alejandro Santo Domingo, who purchased a 20% stake.
Petrus is located atop the Pomerol plateau. Most of its vines sit on a so-called “buttonhole” of blue clay soil, known as smectite. This soil’s ability to retain water is a huge benefit in the Pomerol appellation, where drought is a known issue. The vineyard is planted mostly to Merlot.
The estate is run today by winemaker Olivier Berrouet, previously of neighbouring Château Cheval Blanc. Olivier joined in 2008, taking over from his father, Jean-Claude, who had produced 44 vintages of Petrus in his time.
Pomerol
Pomerol is the smallest of Bordeaux's major appellations, with about 150 producers and approximately 740 hectares of vineyards. It is home to many bijou domaines, many of which produce little more than 1,000 cases per annum.
Both the topography and architecture of the region is unremarkable, but the style of the wines is most individual. The finest vineyards are planted on a seam of rich clay which extends across the gently-elevated plateau of Pomerol, which runs from the north-eastern boundary of St Emilion. On the sides of the plateau, the soil becomes sandier and the wines lighter.
There is one satellite region to the immediate north, Lalande-de-Pomerol whose wines are stylistically very similar, if sometimes lacking the finesse of its neighbour. There has never been a classification of Pomerol wines.
Recommended Châteaux : Ch. Pétrus, Vieux Ch. Certan, Le Pin, Ch. L’Eglise-Clinet, Ch. La Conseillante, Ch. L’Evangile, Ch. Lafleur, Trotanoy, Ch. Nenin, Ch. Beauregard, Ch. Feytit-Clinet, Le Gay.
Merlot
The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.
In St.Emilion and Pomerol it withstands the moist clay rich soils far better than Cabernet grapes, and at it best produces opulently rich, plummy clarets with succulent fruitcake-like nuances. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of hedonistically rich Merlot wines at their very best. It also plays a key supporting role in filling out the middle palate of the Cabernet-dominated wines of the Médoc and Graves.
Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in California, Chile and Northern Italy.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The sweet opulence one expects of this famous château is undoubtedly present. Raspberry aromas sing alongside leafy undertones on the nose. Juicy, ripe, fleshy fruit appears on the palate to create a complex wine of impressive length. Fine-grained tannins and focused structure offer sound promise for longer-term ageing. Exceptionally pure, less powerful than usual, Ch. Pétrus is elegant and heady. Another fantastic wine from 2014, and another that is rewarding, charming, and offers finesse rather than power—a theme of the vintage on the Right Bank.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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