2016 - Ch Pétrus Pomerol - 1x150cl

Colour Red
Producer Château Pétrus
Region Pomerol
Drinking 2025 - 2050
Case size 1x150cl
Available

No further quantities available

Go To Checkout

Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.

Goedhuis, April 2017, Score: 98-100

I was positively humbled when I tasted this extraordinary wine and don’t really know how words will do it justice… Slightly out of the normal Pétrus mould, this 2016 is all about sensuality, subtlety and grace. Winemaker Olivier Berrouet explained that this year it was imperative to treat the fruit with respect and handle it gently. This avoided heavy extraction, and coaxed silky tannins supporting the beautiful layers of summer berry flavours. If velvet could be in liquid form, this would be it… It is so, so layered, and just goes on and on. As I write this note its memory goes on and on. The perfect score. DR
Neal Martin, January 2019, Score: 98+

The 2016 Pétrus was bottled at the end of July – a little late, according to Oliver Berrouet – although it was taken out of barrel at the end of May and finished in stainless steel tank for the final few weeks. Berrouet feels that this vintage found its place during the barrel maturation, opining that its complexity and fruité make it one of the great Pétrus. It has a drop-dead gorgeous bouquet offering pure black cherries, bilberry and violet and displaying impressive depth, but it takes 15 to 20 minutes to bloom. The palate is fresh on the entry, with filigreed tannin framing pure black fruit laced with spice and a hint of white pepper, and perhaps a little less extrovert than some recent vintages. The satiny texture is stunning: there’s not a hair out of place. Gains more depth toward the beautifully poised finish. A magnificent Pétrus that is up there with the greats. 14.5% alcohol. 2022 - 2050
Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 96-98

The 2016 Petrus was picked from 28 September until 11 October and matured in 55% new oak. It has 14.9% alcohol, which is the same as in 2010; however, the pH is much lower at 3.35. For the first 15-20 minutes, the wine was tight-lipped and did not want to come out and play (Olivier passed the time by showing me some interesting videos on his mobile phone). Then it unfolds to reveal very pure blackcurrant and bilberry fruit with a violet and underlying sea spray scent that becomes more and more noticeable. The definition here is very impressive. The palate is medium-bodied with quite juicy and dense tannin, a little edginess on the entry with that marine influence continuing from start to finish. This is a cerebral Petrus, not unlike the 2010 at this stage, the alcohol disguised towards the finish, but lending this volume and an uncommon flamboyance for the vintage that marks it out from nearly every other Pomerol. The key though, is that it retains that freshness and detail. Whether it will match up to the sensational 2015 Petrus, we will have to wait and see. What is for sure is that this is a deeply impressive Pomerol that might just have a few tricks up its sleeve. Drink Date 2023 - 2060
Antonio Galloni, January 2019, Score: 99

The 2016 Pétrus is magnificent. There is a sense of total completeness in the 2016 that is hard to capture with words. A regal wine of total presence, the 2016 simply has it all. Beautifully layered in the glass, with stunning aromatics and endless, layered fruit, the 2016 is utterly captivating. Once again I am struck by the wine's purity and total class. Technical Director Olivier Berrout and his team turned out a magnificent Pétrus in 2016. Total time in barrel was 19 months, with 50% new oak. 2026 - 2066
Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 95-98

The 2016 Pétrus is a wine of extraordinary finesse. Lifted and precise on the palate, with a lovely underpinning of ripe tannin, it exudes class. The delineation and overall translucency of the 2016 are truly remarkable. Harvest started on September 28 and wrapped up on October 11, which is a long window of time for such a small property. Technical director Olivier Berrout describes 2016 as year with a very dry but not excessively hot summer and September rain that arrived at a very opportune moment. Berrouet gave the wines 15-18 days on the skins, followed by malolactic fermentation in tank. But beyond the technical details, the 2016 Pétrus is both magnificent and unforgettable. I can't wait to taste it again.
James Suckling, April 2017, Score: 99-100

This is a muscular Petrus that is so compacted and powerful. Full-bodied, yet tight and intense. I haven’t tasted something like this for a long time. The tannins are exquisitely fine-grained, the finish mind-binding. It’s the combination of violets and dark fruit that’s just so enticing. Just crushed grapes and crystal-clear purity.
Matthew Jukes, April 2017, Score: 19.5+

With unnerving focus and precision this is a dark and velvety Pétrus with startling tension and a wonderful brightness of fruit. Along a singular theme, the fruit starts immediately and then never stops. It is clear that this is a wine for the very long term. Less obviously and overtly juicy than last year’s wine but equally determined and laser driven, this is a wine with undoubted majesty and it manages to grow in my glass in only 15 minutes so imagine what it can do in ten or twenty years! With thrilling weight and luscious red cherry and ganache-smooth fruit, this is a wine with incredible length. They harvested very small berries because of the drought and, although there was no hydric stress per se, just hydric pressure, they had to be rigorous and very precise at harvest. Being able to capture the optimum ripeness for each block was a challenge and the key was to keep the acidity in the grapes to maintain the tension in the wine. Olivier Berrouet explained that gentle extraction was critical to harnessing the amazing density of flavour in the grapes. ‘The goal is not to make a massive wine’, he said. No one could accuse 2016 of being a massive wine, but it certainly has a massive flavour!
Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 19

28 September to 11 October (Olivier Berrouet's birthday). Very very deep crimson. Gorgeous nose. Very intense and rich. Richer than Le Pin and I did not spit. Beautiful balance. More rigour than some vintages. Very long indeed. Unusually structured but no shortage of beguiling flavours. Violets and tar. Drink 2024-2045
Tim Atkin, May 2017, Score: 97

“You needed to extract less in 2016”, says Olivier Berrouet of this very fine Pétrus, blessed with dense yet silky tannins, plush berry fruit, refreshing acidity and understated concentration. The 50% new oak is deftly folded into the texture of the wine. 2026-40

Producer

Château Pétrus

Undoubtedly one of the most celebrated and sought after estates in Bordeaux, Château Pétrus needs little introduction. This legendary chateau is owned by the Libournais merchant JP Moueix. Pétrus' vineyards are on the eastern side of the Pomerol appellation towards St. Emilion and are planted principally with Merlot with a smattering of Cabernet Franc. The style is famously opulent and complex.

Region

Pomerol

The small sub-region of Pomerol is situated north-east of the industrious city of Libourne. Pomerol's soils are predominately iron-rich clay with a smattering of gravel that produce wines with extraordinary power and depth. As a result of this clay-dominance, it has the highest percentage of Merlot planted in all of Bordeaux. Certain châteaux are produced exclusively from this grape, but most incorporate smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as well. Despite its hefty (if not exclusive) proportion of Merlot, many people think of wines from this region as separate entities. As one wine aficionado stated recently, "It's not Merlot. It's Pomerol." Despite the region's small size, Pomerol contains some of the world's most sought after (and expensive) wines including Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur, l'Evangile and Vieux Château Certan. Unlike other Bordelais subregions, there is no system of classification. The châteaux are traded on reputation alone.