Petrus 2015 (750ML)

100 WA / 100 JS / 100 DE / 100 WE / 99 JD / 98 VM / 19 JR

#53 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of 2018

When I asked winemaker Olivier Berrouet about his greatest challenges in 2015, he replied, “Our biggest challenge is to avoid all the temptations you can have in the vineyard and in the cellar. You can go too far. With our job, if you go too far, you can’t go back. Little steps are best.” His comments eloquently explain the immense pressure of handling a seemingly pressure-less vintage like 2015 in Pomerol. But, with the devil in all the many details that are involved in the pursuit of wine perfection, if anyone has that devil by the horns, it is this incredibly talented young winemaker. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Petrus (bottled in mid-July 2017) opens in its own time to reveal crushed black cherries, warm plums, mulberries and cedar chest suggestions with touches of anise, lavender, beef drippings and wild thyme plus a waft of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with generous, exuberant, wonderfully layered red, black and perfumed blue fruits contrasted beautifully by very ripe, very fine-grained and very firm tannins plus an ethereal line of seamless acid, finishing long and minerally. Olivier Berrouet and his team have knocked it out of the park in 2015. Look for this Pétrus to build and unfold over the next 20 years and confidently cellar this legend for 40+ years. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

The aromas to this are a reference for Pomerol with truffles, black olives, black licorice and dark fruit. Even brown sugar. Full-bodied, layered and multi-dimensional. Chocolate underlines the character above. The perfect tannin texture, length and balance make you think you're dreaming. All about harmony and beauty. Love to taste it now but needs at least five or six years. - James Suckling

There is so much going on with Petrus in 2015 that you should just pull up a chair and relax, don't expect to be going anywhere soon. Aromatic persistency keeps reaching in, pulling you further alongside. There is a soft quality to the tannins that allows the black fruit to be both juicy and sweet. High alcohol is balanced by freshness - a pH of 3.5 is relatively rare on these sticky clay soils - unleashing waves of flavour, including bergamot, smoky tea, black olives and rich cherry. The persistency is crazy - I had to get my notes back out two or three times to take down additional flavours because it just kept giving something more. And it makes you smile! What more do you want? Bottled in June, but will not be sent out to customers until April 2018. 50% new oak. - Jane Anson, Decanter

This is like drinking liquid black currants and blackberries. The wine has great intensity and richness from the superbly generous Merlot. The wood aging is still there as a hint in the background although the fruit and acidity dominate. Drink from 2026. - Wine Enthusiast 

The 2015 Petrus is undoubtedly one of the gems in the vintage and will probably merit a perfect score in another decade. Even so, it has the sexy, exotic nature of the vintage front and center and offers a huge perfume of black currants, kirsch liqueur, Asian spices, and incense. As always, this beauty is 100% Merlot that was brought up in 50% new wood in 2015. A wine that opens up beautifully with time in the glass, it has beautiful mid-palate depth, sweet, sweet tannins, and voluptuous yet weightless texture that needs to be tasted to be believed. Hide bottles for 4-5 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following 3-4 decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2015 Petrus is all set to be one of the greatest wines that Olivier Berrouet has ever conjured. It is slightly deeper in colour than recent vintages, but refulgent in the glass. Whilst the aromatics are not the most immediate, patience reveals a scintillating bouquet that errs towards black than red fruit, crushed stone and pressed iris flowers, all with exquisite detail and focus. The palate is incredibly well balanced, initially a little angular but “finding its rhythm” with aeration. Of course, it is just a baby and there is a bit of puppy fat on the finish, but that does not disguise the impressive depth and awesome length, a tiny saline residue lingering on the finish. Will it ultimately be worthy of a perfect score like the 1989 or 1998? It is not beyond the realms of possibility. Sensational. Tasted in Bordeaux. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

Shaded, rich, nicely aromatic, and slightly charred in a nice way. Layered and rich and very sumptuous on the finish. Tannins well covered by fruit. Very rich and broad and subtle. Spicy, long and rich. - Jancis Robinson