1975 Château Petrus
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Tasting notes
The 1975 Petrus is a wine that I have had on half-a-dozen occasions, most memorably my own bottle at 'The Fat Duck' for my wife’s birthday milestone. It is probably the best vintage of that decade, certainly the vintage where Jean-Claude Berrouet feels that he finally 'unlocked' Petrus, honed his winemaking technique after what he feels were errors in previous vintages. This bottle is up there with the best I have encountered over the years, blessed with a wonderful, complex bouquet with red fruit, iron, black truffles and a light woodland/fern-like scent. It feels fully mature, melted and for want of a better word...comforting. The palate is beautifully balanced and has certainly held up well, probably better than the 1971 Petrus. It has fine tannin, perfectly judged acidity, this example maybe demonstrating more structure and grip than previous bottles. It just cruises at high altitude, delivering a splendid, quite sensual finish that is becoming a little meatier as it pushes on towards its half-century. This is just a glorious Petrus. (NM)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Tasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the bottle of 1975 Petrus did not quite "sing" as another bottles tasted just a few days earlier (yes, it was a good few days of drinking). That is a pity because it was probably my only opportunity to taste it against the 1975 Lafleur. It has an attractive bouquet with leather and brown sugar notes that infuse the black fruit, although it did not quite exude the vigour of previous bottles. The palate is medium-bodied, ripe and surprisingly luxuriant for a 1975 Bordeaux, which can tend to be quite austere. This is multi-layered with soft tannin, leather and bay leaf mixed with brown spice and even curry leaf towards the long finish. It is a brilliant Petrus, though this was not the best example.
Served blind alongside Certan de May 1975 and clearly superior to it. Still amazingly concentrated and sweet – positively thick – without any tannin in evidence. Soft and super-rich with a hint of blackcurrant pastilles. Extremely impressive, though no one would accuse it of finesse. (JR)
High toned and drier than the 1971 served alongside. Sweet and spiky. Long and racy. Savoury, spicy (cinnamon), with even a hint of curry. Notes of treacle and tea, even a little tar. Wonderfully persistent. (JR)
About the producer
Ask any wine-lover to name the world’s greatest fine wines, and the answer will invariably include Pétrus.