Wine Advisor
Petrus 1995
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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
Poured at lunch with Jean-Francois Moueix and Jean-Claude Berrouet, this is a beautiful Petrus that has reached its drinking plateau. The nose is generous, very expressive, blossoming with black fruits, cooked meats, a touch of hung game and leather, some roasted chestnut developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, you could say almost rustic tannins, which merely adds to the charm. It has certainly softened over the last five years, dried herbs towards the complex, sensuous finish. I am not sure this will turn out to be a long-lived Petrus, but it is adorable all the same. Drink now-2022. Tasted December 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A moderate garnet core with thin dark brick rim. An expressive nose that is unassuming at first but deepens with aeration. Notes of dried blood and iron rust. But very focused aromatics. The palate is medium rather than full-bodied. Quite feminine but with firm tannins. The fruit element is beginning to withdraw behind the curtain, becoming slightly herbal with a hint of black tea. Very elegant and refined. Not a powerful wine like the 1998 but more succinct and approachable. Drink from 2006. Tasted January 2004.
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. The 1995 Petrus boasts an opaque purple color followed by a sensational jammy nose of black fruits and spices. This monstrous, over-sized wine is oozing with extract, glycerin, and jammy fruit, yet it is oh, so pure and well: 2005-2020.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1995 Petrus boasts an opaque purple color followed by a sensational jammy nose of black fruits and spices. This monstrous, over-sized wine is oozing with extract, glycerin, and jammy fruit, yet it is oh, so pure and well-balanced. Its mouthcoating, teeth-staining levels of extract are hauntingly close to the profoundly perfect 1989 and 1990 Petrus. The 1995 is awesome! Anticipated maturity: 2004-2035. Last tasted 11/97
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1995 is another legendary effort, rivaling what Petrus created in 1989 and 1990. The production was extremely small, with yields of under 40 hectoliters per hectare, and only 3000 cases produced (as opposed to the normal 4500 cases). It reminds me of a modern day clone of the 1975 given its massive richness, formidable power, and huge, mouthfilling personality. The wine possesses layers of concentrated fruit, an opaque purple color, high alcohol, great ripeness, low acidity, and a mouthsearing tannin level. This should turn out to be a nearly perfect Petrus for drinking between 2005-2035. Because he is a reference point for both Bordeaux and California, it is fashionable to criticize Christian Moueix and his bevy of top estates, but he has clearly fashioned a great 1995. All of the wines in this segment were tasted between March 19 and March 28 in Bordeaux. Most of the important wines from both the 1994 and 1995 vintages were tasted three separate times during my ten-day stay in Bordeaux.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
It is interesting how this wine continues to evolve. Unquestionably one of the vintage's superstars, the 1995 Petrus is taking on a personality similar to the extraordinarily backward, muscular 1975. This is not a Petrus that can be approached in its youth (i.e., the perfect duo of 1989 and 1990). The wine exhibits an opaque ruby/purple color, followed by a knock-out nose of pain grille, jammy black fruits, and roasted coffee. On the palate, it possesses teeth-staining extract levels, massive body, and rich, sweet black fruits buttressed by powerful, noticeable tannin. A formidably endowed wine with layers of extract, this is a huge, tannic, monstrous-sized Petrus that will require a minimum of 10 years of cellaring. Forget all the nonsense about Merlot producing sweet, soft, ready to drink wines, because low yielding, old Merlot vines made in the way of Petrus and other top Pomerols frequently possess as much aging potential as any great Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine in the world. Look for the 1995 Petrus to last for 50+ years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2050. Petrus, the undisputed King of Pomerol, was an inconsistent performer between 1976 and 1988, but since 1989 there have been few Bordeaux wines that match this property for its extraordinary combination of power, richness, complexity, and elegance. The 1995 and 1996 are both noteworthy efforts.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1995 Petrus is one of the finest vintages of the decade, a silver medal behind the brilliant 1998. This bottle might well constitute the best that I have encountered. It has a beautiful, focused nose with hints of game and humidor infusing the black fruit. With aeration more red fruit becomes evident, allied with a touch of roasted chestnut. The palate is supremely well balanced, slightly gamey and with impressive grip. There is a bit of chutzpah about this Petrus, the way in which it fans out towards the finish. You could broach bottles now, although this example suggests that it is going to be very interesting to follow over the next 20 years. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at Hide restaurant in London.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting in London, the 1995 Petrus is a vintage that I had not tasted for several years. Now just over 20 years old, it continues to cruise at a high level. The nose is very cool and refined. There remains plenty of black fruit on the nose, quite savoury in style to such an extent that blind, I was certain it contained some Cabernet Franc and was therefore Lafleur! The palate is extremely well balanced with superb density, wonderful structure and crescendo of flavours. There is a touch of hung game towards the finish, dried blood and sage, the aftertaste ridiculously long. It has reached its drinking plateau, although on this showing, it is going to be a very long plateau. Divine.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Saturated red-ruby color. Knockout aromas of black raspberry, melted toffee, minerals and smoky oak. Explosively spicy, mulberry-flavored fruit builds and builds in the mouth. Harmonious acidity gives this extremely rich, large-scaled Petrus great balance for aging. Finishes with substantial but thoroughly ripe tannins and palate-staining length. At this early stage, I rate this wine a hair behind the supernal '90 but ahead of the '89. Most of the '95 Moueix wines I tasted seemed a bit stunted by the bottling, but not this one!
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good medium color. Aromas of spicy oak, toffee, minerals and sweet black raspberries. Dense, sweet and very attractive; has just enough acidity to give it shape. But finishes quite soft, with a disturbing pickle note lurking in the background.
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.
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