Château Petrus 2012/2013/2014

Château Pétrus 2014 is an extraordinary, highly exclusive red from the prestigious Pomerol region of Bordeaux, France. Made by winemaker Olivier Berrouet, it's 100% Merlot grown on the estate's iconic, rare blue clay. The 2014 vintage stands out for its subtlety, freshness and aristocratic elegance, moving away from pure power towards surgical precision of fruit and minerality.

Jancis Robinson gave Château Pétrus 2014 18.5/20 points, praising its ethereal profile, refined texture and qualities reminiscent of great Burgundy. She highlighted mineral notes, a "peacock's tail" finish and a long drinking window, suggesting 2022 to 2040.

In his review of Château Pétrus 2014, James Suckling gave it 98 points and described it as a wine of rare inspiration, even calling it an expression of “true enlightenment”.

The nose shows remarkable aromatic complexity, dominated by elegant floral notes with ripe wild blackberries, mineral hints and cedar. With time in the glass, extra layers of dark chocolate, blue fruit and subtle walnut add depth.

On the palate it's full-bodied and extraordinarily concentrated, with a density and intensity unusual for 2014. The texture impresses with the fineness of its tannins, compact yet refined, giving a sense of great precision and balance.

The finish stands out for its exceptional persistence, unfolding continuously in a progression Suckling compared to a waterfall. The robust, structuring tannins are perfectly integrated, contributing to a harmonious, highly elegant architecture.

Concluding his review, the critic considered this Pétrus one of the most remarkable wines of the vintage, underlining its extraordinary ageing potential. When tasted in February 2017, he estimated it needed four to five more years in bottle to reach its peak, pointing to 2023 as the start of its ideal drinking window.

It's one of the world's most famous wines; the name Pétrus instantly electrifies Bordeaux lovers. Yet quantities are so small, around 30,000 bottles a year, that many wine lovers have to make do with the sound of the name. In price, the legendary château is on a par with its great Burgundian equivalent, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Anyone expecting a magnificent château here will probably be disappointed, though: one of the great legends of the wine world is made in a small, elegant manor house in typical Bordelais style that you could almost overlook. Pétrus is first mentioned by name in 1817, but its steep rise only began when Madame Edmond Loubat joined the business and guided the château's fortunes until 1961. It was then sold to the well-known, now famous wine merchant Jean Pierre Moueix, who finally made it an absolute Bordeaux celebrity. 11 hectares of vines are planted at Pétrus in that unique ferruginous clay soil with only a thin layer of sand and pebbles. It's this soil that gives Pétrus wines (95 per cent Merlot) their unmatched richness and depth. The remaining 5 per cent of Cabernet Franc is used only according to the quality of the vintage, in which vineyard and cellar work also play a major part. Selective harvesting is extremely painstaking and drastically reduces yields. There's no second wine; unsuitable grapes are sold to other winemakers. Gentle fermentation is followed by around two years in new oak barrels. So today, every bottle of Pétrus, if you can find one, represents one of the great myths of the wine world.