Wine Advisor
Petrus 1966
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Description
Petrus is made almost entirely of Merlot grapes grown in Bordeaux's right bank Pomerol appellation. Although never officially classified, the chateau has long been considered on par with the First Growths from the left bank. The ownership of the estate has passed between the Arnaud family in the 19th century, to Madame Loubat at the end of WWII, and finally to Jean-Pierre Moueix in recent years. Petrus's clay soil is rich in iron and the estate's average vine age is 40 years. Chateau Petrus produces approximately 3,000 cases of wine each year.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A very Medoc-like Petrus, and somewhat in the style of the wines made during most of the eighties, this dark plum/garnet-colored wine shows plenty of amber at the edge and a sweet nose of melted caramel, licorice, roasted herbs, and sweet curranty and cherry fruit. The wine is medium-bodied, slightly austere, but very complex and elegant. The wine has been fully mature since the early nineties. Anticipated maturity: Now-2010. Last tasted, 1/02.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Excellent, but even more highly regarded elsewhere than by me, the 1966 Petrus has a cedar, herbaceous, sweet, fruity bouquet and is full bodied, with very good viscous, ripe, berry flavors. This big, dense, somewhat coarse wine seems just a trifle out of synch. The 1966 Petrus has plenty of tannin, alcohol, and flavor, but they have never fully meshed. Anticipated maturity: Now-2002. Last tasted, 6/91.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Whilst I have tasted many vintages of Petrus, the 1966 Petrus is one that has eluded me. Finally, it appeared in a series of 1966s served blind and frankly, it's quality shone through long before its identity was revealed. You can consider this as the final great Petrus from the original vineyard, before absorbing part of Gazin in 1969. It revels in a stunning bouquet with graphite and bay leaf, as well as very intense black fruit that becomes almost Margaux-like with aeration. The palate is silky smooth with fine tannin, far more reserved and masculine than the 1964 Petrus, yet disarmingly focused and precise, hints of orange peel and morello cherry towards the pixelated finish. What a fabulous Pomerol, one that will last 15-20 years subject to provenance. Tasted April 2016.
About the Producer
The Patus winery has 11.5 hectares of vineyards. The top layer of the soil in the garden is pure clay, the bottom layer is terracotta, and the deeper layer is lime soil with high iron content, and has a good drainage system. The grape varieties planted are mainly Merlot, accounting for about 95%; the remaining 5% is Cabernet Franc. Because Cabernet Franc matures earlier, unless the vintage is particularly good, Patux winery is generally not used for winemaking. The planting density is 6,000 trees per hectare, and the average age of the trees is around 40 years, and some are even 80 years old. The operator adopts a more traditional method in the renewal of the vineyard, that is, through the selection, the best quality grape vine is used as the "mother plant", which is the same as the method when the Chateau Conti eradicated the old roots in 1946. The vineyard also adopts strict "fruit control". Each plant retains several bud eyes, and each bud eye leaves only one bunch of grapes. The goal is to fully ripen, but avoid over-ripening, otherwise it will affect the delicate flavor of the wine. In terms of the brewing process, Chateau Patus set the grape harvest time in the afternoon, the purpose is to let the morning sun dry the residual dew from the previous night. Each harvest employs 180 harvesters and takes about half a day to complete 2 to 3 harvests. During the brewing, Patus Winery spared no expense, replacing the wooden barrels (of different materials) every 3 months, and the aging time is about 20-22 months. Patus winery attaches great importance to quality and only selects the best grapes. In some bad years, such as 1991, it even stops production. The average annual output of Chateau Patus is no more than 30,000 bottles, which is extremely limited and expensive. Petrus, Pomerol, France is dark in color and has a delicate and rich aroma. Among the aromas of blackcurrant and mint, there are also many aromas such as blackberry, cream, chocolate, truffle, milk and oak. The taste is silky Slippery, long aftertaste.
1950(1)1964(1)
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