Chateau Petrus 2014

Professional Ratings

• 98 James Suckling
  A wine evincing true enlightenment. It’s floral on the nose and also shows blackberries, stones, minerals and cedar. Full-bodied, yet its so fine-grained and tight. So, so long. It builds like a waterfall on the finish. The tannins are powerful yet superbly integrated and harmonious. Needs four to five years in bottle. Drink in 2023.
• 96 Wine Enthusiast
  Ripe, smooth and with a velvety texture, this is a superrich, over-the-top wine. It is opulent and generous in warm red-plum flavors. The freshness is slow to come through this weighty wine.Barrel Sample: 94-96
• 95 Decanter
  Classical and fine with the Merlot providing a Cabernet-like presentation of tannin. Very natural and unforced. Lovely texture and fruit. Long, persistent finish.
• 95 Wine Spectator
  This has lush, fleshy layers of blackberry, fig and black currant confiture rumbling through, pushed by notes of charcoal and warm tobacco leaf. Ganache hints fill in on the finish. Bass-driven, with a serious knot of tannins that have yet to stretch out, but the core of fruit is way too serious to doubt. Best from 2020 through 2035.
• 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2014 Petrus was tasted on the same morning as the 2014 Vieux-Château-Certan and though they are built from different blends, their personalities are quite similar. This is a succinct, not powerful, much more refined and discrete bouquet, gradually unfurling and revealing a subtle sea spray/marine element. The palate is again quite discrete at first and unfolds at a glacial pace. It is beautifully balanced with fine tannin, quite linear and structured, gently building towards a finish that has wonderful salinity (continuing that marine theme). Note: I actually returned to taste this several hours later, because it was so closed earlier on and it did finally open, which is atypical for this Pomerol. It is a wonderful Petrus, but one that will deserve bottle age and decanting.