Petrus - Pomerol 2001

Wine Spectator

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe10/31/2004

This is very youthful, almost like a barrel sample. Some might say it is still in a dumb stage, yet there's plenty of body and richness, with blackberry and toasted oak character, verging on coffee. Very long. A beauty.--Pétrus non-blind vertical. Best after 2007. 2,000 cases made.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

92 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2004

Medium red-ruby. Very ripe but subdued nose hints at mulberry, caramel, toffee, iron and nutty oak. Very ripe, broad and deep but quite closed today; lush and full but classically dry and light on its feet. Red berry and mineral flavors coat the palate. Builds impressively on the very long, gripping finish. I would not be surprised if this very suave Petrus merited a higher score a decade down the road. 92+

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe6/30/2004

The 2001 Petrus (2,160 cases produced) exhibits more depth and richness than any other Pomerol I tasted. Its deep saturated ruby/plum/purple color is accompanied by a tight but promising bouquet of vanilla, cherry liqueur, melted licorice, black currants, and notions of truffles and earth. Rich, full-bodied, and surprisingly thick as well as intense, there is plenty of structure underlying the wealth of fruit and extract. Give it 3-6 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following two decades as it promises to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage, not to mention one of the most concentrated. I told Christian Moueix (although I’m not sure he agreed with me) that his best wines of 2001 reminded me of the 1971s in style, but with slightly less tannin and more fat.

Wine Advocate

91-3 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2003

This is a tannic, closed, difficult to evaluate vintage for Petrus. Last year the 2001 was weighty in the mouth, and of impeccably high quality, but young and unevolved. Tasted ten months later, little seems to have changed. The color remains a healthy dark ruby/purple, and the wine is full-bodied, with hints of charcoal-infused cherry and mulberry fruit intermixed with touches of licorice and truffles. The tannins remain excruciatingly hard, and the wine is big, massive, and impressive, but lacking charm and suppleness. Certainly there is a lot here, but this 2001 needs at least a decade of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030+. NOTE: The passing of a legend. Jean-Pierre Moueix, 1913-2003, passed away the weekend of March 29-30. A noble and erudite man, he single-handedly established the reputation for Pomerol. Founding his negociant firm in Libourne in 1937, he developed a marketplace in Belgium and northern Europe for many of the area's greatest wines. His success led to the purchase of many of the better vineyards, most renowned of which were Trotanoy (1953), La Fleur-Petrus (1953), Magdelaine (1954), and Petrus, partially owned until its outright acquisition in 2002. Jean-Pierre Moueix and his two sons, Christian and Jean-Francois, were the cornerstones of my early education of the wines of Pomerol. As a beneficiary of his wisdom and generosity, I shall always remember him as a visionary as well as a great man. His death symbolizes the end of an extraordinary life and era.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2002

There are slightly less than 2,400 cases of the 2001 Petrus. The wine reveals more acidity than is normally found in a young Petrus, however, it possesses the tell-tale power, mass, and concentrated essence produced by this vineyard. The color is a healthy dark ruby/purple. The wine is full-bodied, with cherry and mulberry fruit as well as nicely integrated toasty new oak. It is young and unevolved, but Petrus is vinified in such a traditional manner that it often does not perform well for many years. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+