Wine Advisor
Petrus 1997
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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.
The 1997 Petrtus may ultimately turn out to be a superior wine, but somewhat of an insider's secret. The color is a saturated ruby/purple. The wine offers up copious quantities of sweet coffee, mocha, and blackberry fruit intermixed with cherry and subtle new oak notes. This medium to full-bodied wine is not a blockbuster, but gorgeously rich, with layers of glycerin, extract, and richness coating the palate. Dense and ripe, with moderate tannin in the surprisingly long finish, it should be at its peak between 2007-2025.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Only 2,500 cases (as opposed to 4,500 in a high quality, abundant year) of Petrus were produced in 1997. The wine boasts an opaque ruby/purple color, as well as a knock-out nose of sweet pain grille, jammy cherries, plums, and black raspberry scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, with surprisingly high tannin, a sweet, opulently-textured, unctuous mid-palate, and a structured, but overall forward finish. One of the most concentrated and complex wines of the vintage, it is a candidate for two decades of cellaring. The 1997 is hard to compare with any other Petrus vintage. It is obviously far better than the wines made during the early and mid-eighties (the 1982 being the prominent exception), as well as more forward than the 1994, 1995, and 1996 Petrus. Although I never tasted it at a young age, the 1997 may be reminiscent of the gorgeous 1967, which remains in dazzling shape (I had a superb magnum on December 31, 1997) despite the fact it comes from a light vintage that produced quickly maturing wines. For readers who like to keep records of such things, the Petrus vineyard was harvested on three separate days, September 11, 17 (the biggest haul), and 23. Some of the vines were harvested grape by grape rather than bunch by bunch because of the irregular ripening that afflicted nearly every estate in 1997.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The backward 1997 (2,300 cases produced) needs 3-4 years of cellaring. The dense plum/ruby/purple color is accompanied by a closed bouquet of mocha, dried tomato skin, and black fruits. In the mouth, it is one of the most muscular 1997s, exhibiting outstanding concentration, length, intensity, and depth, copious tannin, and a fine mouth-feel. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep red-ruby. Cherry, redcurrant, raspberry, toffee, minerals and iron filings on the nose. Opulent and deep, with a silky, mouthfilling texture and lovely caramel sweetness. Boasts outstanding length for the vintage. Suave and harmonious.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Very good red-ruby color. Highly aromatic, nuanced nose combines oriental spices, raspberry, iron, rose petal, minerals and cocoa. Concentrated and layered, with terrific inner-mouth flavor and fresh, harmonious acidity. Finishes very long, with even, tongue-coating tannins. Still, not as impressive today as the '96, which I slightly underrated a year ago.
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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