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2029 - 2059
The 2019 Pétrus is a powerful, heady wine, bursting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, cassis, violets, spices, licorice and kirsch. Full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with an ample core of fruit, lively acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the liqueured finish, it's a ripe, high-octane Petrus that reflects the influence of a dry, warm growing season on what is essentially a single cépage (Merlot) and a single soil type (clay).
Winemaker Olivier Berrouet, following in his father's footsteps, continues to pursue a very classical, elegant style at Pétrus, a site naturally inclined to produce Pomerol's most muscular wine. He considers timing the date of harvest to be of the essence in avoiding excess; extraction is gentle, with daily pump-overs performed by hand during two or at most three weeks of maceration; and the modest 50% of new oak barrels employed at this address (from Taransaud, Darnajou, Séguin Moreau and Demptos) are steamed and then soaked with water for 15 days before filling to minimize their impact. So, I suspect that the 2019 vintage's power and structure arrived against his best intentions. Certainly, with essentially only one cépage (Merlot) and one soil type (blue clay) and a surface area of only just over 11 hectares, Berrouet doesn't have many options when a warm, dry vintage comes along. Power, rather than opulence, is the order of the day chez Pétrus this year, and while the 2019 is a prodigious wine, it will require notable patience of anyone wishing to see it at full maturity.
