1978 Château Petrus

The 1978 Petrus is a wine that I have encountered two or three times (the first occasion at an MW seminar where I absconded with the dregs that accompanied by ham sandwich.) For many years it was actually comparatively a good value. It has a pretty, if conservative, rather straight-laced bouquet of red fruit with marked sous-bois and leather aromas suggesting that this is approaching the end of its drinking plateau. Like many 1978s it comes across as foursquare and masculine on the palate, just a touch of bell pepper towards the second half, a rather “bony” Petrus as whatever fruit there was initially recedes and leaves the tannins. Bottles should be consumed in the near future as it is not in gradual decline. Taken from the “Pomerol” book.

Bottles of 1978 Petrus can be variable. I guess it depends on how you like your Pomerol. Here, served blind against the 1978 Hermitage La Chapelle, well, let's be honest, the Rhône is leaps and bounds superior. The Petrus is modest in terms of intensity, autumnal and a little leafy, a light marine influence developing with time and a hint of wild mint. The palate is medium-bodied with light tannin, balanced if lacking depth. There is harmony here, and a sense of honesty. There is nothing out of place, although it does come across as a wine content to be a second-tier Petrus. While not as good as the previous bottle I encountered over a decade ago, it is a decent Petrus that should be consumed over the next ten years. Tasted March 2014.

Intense colour. No shortage of fresh fruit and very obviously right bank. Clean and bright fruit. Some evolution but just not very rich. Not so obviously right bank as some other vintages of Petrus but very neat. (JR)