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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: Neal Martin
First tasted July 2002. Typical of other 93's. Nose is a classy, but dry with green pepper, earthy notes. Palate lacks 1992's vigour and roundness. Dry tannins. Masculine with an earthy, feral finish. I prefer the 1992. Tasted again in May 2004. A deep garnet core. A surprising Medoc like nose with notes of earth and iron-rust. The palate is tannic, somewhat dry and minerally. Well-balanced but quite stern in character, not a Petrus the yields pleasure. Correct and conservative.

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Petrus is unquestionably one of the strongest, richest, fullest, most powerful wines of the 1993 vintage. When Petrus enjoys an abundant, healthy crop, production averages between 4000-4500 cases. In 1992, only 2600 cases were produced, and in 1993, a mere 2000 cases. The result may be the wine of the vintage. The color is thick, black/purple. The nose offers up powerful scents of vanilla, Asian spices, black-cherries, and other sweet black fruits. Full-bodied, extremely concentrated, unctuous, and powerful, this massive, chewy, backward Petrus will need 10 years of cellaring and last for 25-35 years. It is revealing better sweetness and expansiveness of fruit on the mid-palate than its neighbor and rival, Lafleur. Hence, the slightly higher numerical rating. Don't anticipate full enjoyment of the 1993 Petrus before 2005.

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
After several uninspiring efforts between 1978 and 1988, it is irrefutable that Christian Moueix and his flagship estate, Petrus, have rebounded with a vengeance, producing a bevy of extraordinary wines, even in rain-plagued vintages such as 1992 and 1993. A candidate for the most concentrated wine of the vintage, this 1993 exhibits a saturated purple/plum color, and a sweet nose of black fruits, Asian spices, and vanilla. Huge and formidably rich, this powerful, dense, super-pure wine is a tour de force in winemaking. For a vintage not known for wines of this immense richness and length, this brawny, splendidly endowed Petrus possesses low acidity and high tannin, suggesting that 8-10 years of cellaring are required. This should be a 30-year wine, as well as the vintage's longest-lived effort. Very impressive!
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.