Petrus 2003

Pomerol, First Growth

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy
6	75cl Bottle	Case 6	£13,800 per Case	Case	[Add to shopping basket]

Tasting Notes
The 2003 Petrus was born in a difficult vintage for Pomerol, although its blue clay a.k.a “smectite” soils probably gave Christian Moueix and Jean-Claude Berrouet a slight advantage given its propensity to retain moisture and prevent hydric stress. That said, I would not mark it down as a top tier Petrus. After a timid opening it settles down with attractive mulberry, wild strawberry and clove scents, quite rich but not overpowering. I would argue that it is not as detailed as other vintages. The palate is very well balanced and surprisingly well defined considering the heat of that summer. Rich and opulent for Petrus (maybe the most opulent that Jean-Claude Berrouet ever made) and yet it retains a sense of symmetry and freshness on the finish that I think is unique to this Pomerol. Who says there is no such thing as terroir? Tasted in London with a Bordeaux merchant. Score: 92 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2018-2032 01 March 2018
Fleshy, fat, and already sexy, the dark plum/purple-tinged 2003 Petrus is exceptionally ripe and rich. While not as exotic as its rival, Lafleur, it is rich, heady, and loaded. A tour de force in winemaking for Pomerol, it vindicates Christian Moueix’s decision to harvest nearly all his Merlot on September 3 and 4, and the Cabernet Franc on September 17. However, production is tiny ... less than 1,700 cases. Full-bodied, powerful, and exceptionally pure without losing its nobility and elegance, this stunning Petrus can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for three decades. Score: 95 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2008-2036 30 April 2006
A tiny production and probably the earliest harvest ever at Petrus (September 3, 4, and 17, the latter date for the Cabernet Franc), this is one of the great wines and an extraordinary achievement for a Pomerol in this vintage. It was the famous blue clay terroir of Petrus that saved this vineyard from the drought conditions that undid most of the nearby Pomerols, which possess more gravel and sand in their soils. There are only 1,650 cases of the 2003 Petrus as opposed to 1,780 cases of the 2002 (production in abundant years is 4,000 cases). This extraordinarily dense, powerful, full-bodied wine has a dark plum/purple color to the rim and an exceptional bouquet of black raspberries, sweet cherries, vanilla, licorice, and a hint of fig. The wine is powerful and full-bodied with magnificent concentration, huge structure, yet amazing freshness and overall elegance given the size, muscle, and power of this wine. Qualitatively towering above every other Pomerol as well as most of the neighboring St.-Emilions, it is a wine of great density, nobility, and potential longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040. Score: 96 - 98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2040 30 April 2005
The only Pomerol vineyard to be planted in a deep bed of blue clay, Petrus, which harvested its Merlot in a mere three days during the first week of September (2nd, 3rd, and 4th), did not suffer as much from this historical heat as many of its neighbors, whose vineyards are planted in more gravelly soils. Hence it has produced one of the finest 2003s of Bordeaux’s right bank. However, the production is small, with only 1,650 cases made. The alcohol of 13 - 13.5% was not as high as Christian Moueix suspected, but the acidity levels were low, and the pH running at 3.9 plus, which gives the wine a fat, multilayered, fleshy, textural mouthfeel. The deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by an exceptional nose of jammy red and black fruits intermixed with notions of licorice, vanillin, and underbrush. Full-bodied and opulent, with great intensity as well as noteworthy freshness, and no evidence of over-ripeness (prunes, raisins, etc.), this blockbuster is a remarkable achievement, especially given the style of other Pomerols produced adjacent to this hallowed vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030. Score: 96 - 98 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2030 30 April 2004

Tasting Notes

The 2003 Petrus was born in a difficult vintage for Pomerol, although its blue clay a.k.a “smectite” soils probably gave Christian Moueix and Jean-Claude Berrouet a slight advantage given its propensity to retain moisture and prevent hydric stress. That said, I would not mark it down as a top tier Petrus. After a timid opening it settles down with attractive mulberry, wild strawberry and clove scents, quite rich but not overpowering. I would argue that it is not as detailed as other vintages. The palate is very well balanced and surprisingly well defined considering the heat of that summer. Rich and opulent for Petrus (maybe the most opulent that Jean-Claude Berrouet ever made) and yet it retains a sense of symmetry and freshness on the finish that I think is unique to this Pomerol. Who says there is no such thing as terroir? Tasted in London with a Bordeaux merchant.

Score: 92

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2018-2032 01 March 2018

Fleshy, fat, and already sexy, the dark plum/purple-tinged 2003 Petrus is exceptionally ripe and rich. While not as exotic as its rival, Lafleur, it is rich, heady, and loaded. A tour de force in winemaking for Pomerol, it vindicates Christian Moueix’s decision to harvest nearly all his Merlot on September 3 and 4, and the Cabernet Franc on September 17. However, production is tiny ... less than 1,700 cases. Full-bodied, powerful, and exceptionally pure without losing its nobility and elegance, this stunning Petrus can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for three decades.

Score: 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2008-2036 30 April 2006

A tiny production and probably the earliest harvest ever at Petrus (September 3, 4, and 17, the latter date for the Cabernet Franc), this is one of the great wines and an extraordinary achievement for a Pomerol in this vintage. It was the famous blue clay terroir of Petrus that saved this vineyard from the drought conditions that undid most of the nearby Pomerols, which possess more gravel and sand in their soils. There are only 1,650 cases of the 2003 Petrus as opposed to 1,780 cases of the 2002 (production in abundant years is 4,000 cases). This extraordinarily dense, powerful, full-bodied wine has a dark plum/purple color to the rim and an exceptional bouquet of black raspberries, sweet cherries, vanilla, licorice, and a hint of fig. The wine is powerful and full-bodied with magnificent concentration, huge structure, yet amazing freshness and overall elegance given the size, muscle, and power of this wine. Qualitatively towering above every other Pomerol as well as most of the neighboring St.-Emilions, it is a wine of great density, nobility, and potential longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040.

Score: 96 - 98

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2040 30 April 2005

The only Pomerol vineyard to be planted in a deep bed of blue clay, Petrus, which harvested its Merlot in a mere three days during the first week of September (2nd, 3rd, and 4th), did not suffer as much from this historical heat as many of its neighbors, whose vineyards are planted in more gravelly soils. Hence it has produced one of the finest 2003s of Bordeaux’s right bank. However, the production is small, with only 1,650 cases made. The alcohol of 13 - 13.5% was not as high as Christian Moueix suspected, but the acidity levels were low, and the pH running at 3.9 plus, which gives the wine a fat, multilayered, fleshy, textural mouthfeel. The deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by an exceptional nose of jammy red and black fruits intermixed with notions of licorice, vanillin, and underbrush. Full-bodied and opulent, with great intensity as well as noteworthy freshness, and no evidence of over-ripeness (prunes, raisins, etc.), this blockbuster is a remarkable achievement, especially given the style of other Pomerols produced adjacent to this hallowed vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.

Score: 96 - 98

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2010-2030 30 April 2004

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