2020 Château Petrus

The 2020 Petrus has a pure, delineated and focused bouquet with black cherries, rose petal and crushed stone scents. The palate is medium-bodied and mineral-driven, with finely chiseled tannins and a sapid, marine-influenced finish that retains superb tension. Quite regal. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

As I observed to Olivier Berrouet, it's hardly very original to find a wine critic extolling the virtues of this Pomerol reference point; and yet, whether one likes it or not, there's no denying that the 2020 Pétrus is a brilliant achievement and indeed one of the very finest vintages at this address over the last two decades. Unwinding in the glass with a deep bouquet of dark berries, cherries and cassis mingled with hints of exotic spices, violets and vine smoke, it's full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with huge depth at the core, exquisitely refined tannins and a youthfully reserved, even restrained profile despite its power and size. This serious, classically proportioned Pétrus is a monument in the making.

The 2020 Petrus was bottled in June 2020. "I feel the wine changed a lot since primeur, and since bottling," commented winemaker Olivier Berrouet, "gaining an extra layer of complexity and more subtlety, the tannins are more polished. You still feel the tannins that have improved in barrel, but it needs aging." It has a spectacular nose that does not hold back: layers of intense black cherry, blueberry, crushed violet and incense rocketing from the glass and almost overwhelming the senses. The palate is medium-bodied yet fills the mouth, almost engulfing it with a payload of concentrated blackberry, cassis, and cracked black pepper. This is extremely harmonious on the finish. It's more peppery on the finish than I recall. Likewise, it deserves more cellaring than I previously envisaged. Fabulous.