Appellations

Petrus 2021

Pomerol, First Growth

GBP Price: Size Quantities Units status Actions
Tasting Notes

The 2021 Petrus is terrific. Elegant, refined and aromatically present, the 2021 is a Petrus built on linear energy and persistence more than volume. Crushed red berry fruit, blood orange, cinnamon and sweet floral accents are all finely knit together, framed by discreet oak (50% new) and vibrant saline underpinnings that lend energy. Medium in body, the 2021 is wonderfully finessed from start to finish. It will be interesting to see if it gains a bit more depth with élevage. Technical Director Olivier Berrouet was especially selective. About 60% of the vineyard was used. Yields were 33 hectoliters per hectare as opposed to the more typical 36/37. Musts were lightly chaptalized. "It was a year without sun. Debourrement (budbreak) was the same time as 2020, but harvest was three weeks later," he explained.

Score: 93 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2031-2061 Date: 01 May 2022

The 2021 Pétrus was picked from September 30 until October 9 and aged in the usual 50% new oak. It has a completely different aromatic profile compared to the previous vintages, a return to the Petrus that I know at this stage. It made me think of the 2008, possibly the 2014: cool and linear, refined, very complex, offering lightly spiced red fruit with a small pinch of Chinese five-spice. The fresh, focused palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, good depth and fine tannins, and as usual, it opens exquisitely with aeration, becoming linear and very saline. Long and sustained toward the finish. This Pétrus represents one of the few 2021s that will rank alongside the 2019 or 2020.

Score: 95 - 97 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2029-2055 Date: 01 May 2022

Beautiful length and depth here for the vintage, with blackberry, raspberry and blueberry character. Cloves and sandalwood, too. Full and layered. Ripe and ample, yet balanced and fresh. Crunchy and very bright.

Score: 98 - 99 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 01 May 2022

One of the most structured, introverted wines of the appellation, the 2021 Pétrus unwinds in the glass with aromas of sweet cherries, licorice and black truffle, framed by an extremely discreet patina from its élevage in barrel. Full-bodied, ample and concentrated, it's lively and intensely flavored, built around bright acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the long, sapid finish. This is a terrific effort in a challenging vintage from Olivier Berrouet and his team, but it will require patience.

Score: 93 - 96 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 29 April 2022

To say Petrus is a benchmark wine in Bordeaux is to state the obvious, but it’s fair to say that when this wine doesn't blow you away En Primeur, you know you are up against a challenging year. It's not to say this isn't impressive - there is density, as ever, and concentration, helped by the sticky clays that always encourage water stress even in difficult years, but the black fruits don't have the flesh that has been so abundant over recent vintages. As it opens, violet and peony aromatics begin to uncurl, along with earthier black truffle notes and waves of ferns, rosebuds, and liquorice bud. This has character and juice, showcasing many of the best things about the vintage, but not rising above it. Around 20% lower crop than usual, with a final yield of 33hl/h, harvest September 30 to October 5, 33hl/h yield.

Score: 94 Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com Date: 07 April 2022