Petrus - Pomerol 2017

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/17/2020

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Petrus comes galloping out of the glass with bold, expressive notions of Black Forest cake, blueberry preserves and Christmas pudding with nuances of molten chocolate, Chinese five spice, candied violets, licorice and kirsch plus wafts of roses and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and fantastically concentrated, the palate has compelling freshness and a solid base of wonderfully ripe, velvety tannins, finishing very long and opulent. The aromatics at this youthful stage are atypical for Petrus and quite stunning—this 2017 is a bombshell! Furthermore, it is a unique style for this estate and one avid collectors should seek out! Drinking Window : 2023 - 2063. 98+

Vinous

95 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe3/11/2020

Deceptively alluring a few months after bottling, the 2017 Petrus is attractive and nuanced, and yet I get the impression it is going through a rather awkward stage. Floral and blood orange overtones add freshness and inner perfume to a Petrus that will age more on finesse than power. Olivier Berrouet opted for longer skin contact than normal, about 30 days, with pumpovers of one volume of wine per day at the beginning of fermentation. Malolactic fermentation took place in steel. The 2017 spent about 14 months in oak and then four months in tank prior to being bottled in July 2019. 95+

Wine Spectator

98 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/7/2020

This delivers a torrent of pure, unadulterated raspberry fruit that extends effortlessly through the finish, while hints of incense, mineral and rooibos tea glisten tantalizingly throughout. Shows terrific cut and precision, with eye-catching detail. Drink now through 2040. — JM

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe1/13/2020

I love the aromatics to this with crushed berries, violets and black olives. Hints of vanilla and some caramel. Decadent. Full-bodied and round with very creamy tannins that melt into the wine. It starts off slowly and and then kicks off a few seconds later. The tannins are extremely polished and refined. Hard not to drink now, but wait. Try after 2025.

Le Point

18,5 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe6/20/2018

Joli nez, cerise, griotte, aérien, floral, un peu poivré, bouche douce, souple, fraîche, soyeuse, tanins très veloutés, grande élégance.

Vinifera

98 / 100

byJacques Perrinthe5/28/2018

Robe sombre. Nez magique de fraises au sucre, de bâton de réglisse, de coulis de myrtille, d’une indicible grâce et gourmandise. Magnifique texture et pulpe, avec un délié total, une grande richesse de fruit et un jus flamboyant. Vin à la fois riche et raffiné, qui possède une incroyable présence. Une merveille de justesse, au niveau du mythe !

Vinous

94-97 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

The 2017 Petrus is simply stunning. A rich, deep and voluptuous wine endowed with rapturous beauty. Vivid and wonderfully alive, with ripe, polished tannins, the 2017 is simply impeccable. Jean-Claude Berrouet told me he had never seen a harvest at Petrus stretch out over a three full weeks. Olivier Berrouet added that the berries were quite small. He opted for longer skin contact than normal, about 30 days, with pumpovers of one volume of wine per day at the beginning of fermentation. Even in the early going, Petrus is shaping up to be truly magnificent.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

Truffle, Cuban cigar wrapper, exotic spice, licorice and lilacs create the complex set of aromatics. Powerful yet poised, rich and fresh, dense and velvety, the finish remains with you for close to 60 seconds. The end notes deliver spicy, silky, creamy tannins, ripe, dark plums and darker red fruits that fill the palate. The wine is structured with all the right stuff to age for decades. Produced from 100% Merlot, the harvest started September 8, finishing September 28. The wine reached 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.6 . This is the wine of the vintage.

Vinous

94-96 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Pétrus was tasted on two occasions just over one week apart, the second on 9 April being significantly different to the first. My note comes from the second and as usual I afforded the sample 10 minutes to open. It has an expressive bouquet that is slightly confit in style with red cherry, blackberry, black truffle and light iris scents, all detailed and focused. The bouquet needs less encouragement to open than the previous two vintages. The palate is extremely well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, fresh and vivacious from the very start. At its core lies a mixture of red and black fruit laced with black truffle and cracked black pepper, a discrete spiciness towards the velvety finish and then modest salinity lingering on the aftertaste. It is the second reading that attested to the “serious” side of this Pétrus and its cerebral side. I found more grip and linearity, clearly more complexity and less fatness towards the finish and I anticipate that these facets will become more accentuated as it develops in barrel. Whilst not the greatest Pétrus that I have tasted out of barrel, Olivier Berrouet has fashioned an almost mercurial and beguiling Pomerol.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

The 2017 Petrus is deep garnet-purple in color and opens with incredible notes of preserved plums, baked blueberries and cherry compote with nuances of hoisin, violets, lilacs, licorice and exotic spices—a very open-knit, flamboyant and atypical Petrus barrel sample! The palate is medium to full-bodied, rich, plush and decadent with a firm frame and layers upon layers of perfume and spices on the very long finish.

Decanter.com

96 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

There was no frost here, but they still had to contend with 100mm of rain at the end of June, then one-third of regular rainfall over July and August, then rain again in September. The young vines were more affected by drought, but the older vines had to be left for a few weeks to digest the early September rains. As you might expect, we don't need to worry unduly about winemaker Olivier Berrouet's ability to handle it - but you can certainly see that he had to make a number of careful choices. The harvest, for example, was from 8-28 September - a long spread for such a small vineyard, but they needed to be really careful and work plot by plot. The resulting wine has an extremely powerful nose; the aromatics are high and very complex. On the palate I get dark chocolate, slate, liquorice and damson flesh, giving a dense, compact structure followed by a floral finish. It's fresh and complex, with notable spice. The tannins are deceptive, building over the palate to a fairly tannic finish, and it's very persistent, not a large step down from the last two years, even if it's not quite at their heights. Higher alcohol than most this year, but well balanced.

WeinWisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/25/2018

Jean-Marc QUARIN

19 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/17/2018

Wine Enthusiast

94-96 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2018

While this wine is certainly sumptuous, it also has freshness and an almost a herbal edge that lifts the dense fruit and ripe tannins, giving the palate vivacity and brightness. It is a fine achievement, with considerable power while also having an inherent lightness. It will certainly age well, so drink from 2025.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

98 / 100

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/12/2018

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

Extremely aromatic already with lavender, violets, mulberries and lots of ripe fruit. Very generous in terms of fruit but this remains tight and compacted with long, powerful tannins. They are strong and frame a muscular and racy Petrus, but everything remains in harmony and balance.