Wine Advisor
Petrus 2004
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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
A modest nose of earthy black fruits and again, a touch of green pepper that lends the wine freshness. An understated palate, ripe blackberry leaf and a touch of brine. Vigorous, well-integrated and harmonious. Good grip. As usual, it is elegance more than power. Medium-bodied. A great wine, though Trotanoy has more expression and nuance. Tasted April 2005.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2004 Petrus is a vintage that I had not tasted for a while and whilst it is an exemplary Pomerol, it does not rank within the top tier of wines from the iconic estate. Nevertheless, it has a wonderful, quite powerful bouquet with kirsch and crushed flowers, violets and truffle, perhaps even a seam of cinnamon in the background. The palate is gently moving into its secondary stage of evolution. The fruit is darker than the 2004 Cheval Blanc tasted (blind) alongside, fine structure, a little broody perhaps but with satisfying depth. Perhaps like the 2004 Haut-Brion, it ticks all the boxes but does not quite deliver the personality or the charm of other vintages and as such, it has never quite achieved the promise it showed from barrel. My comments are begrudging given the quality. But this is Petrus. Tasted September 2016.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Petrus has to take a back seat to Lafleur in this vintage as it does not reveal the potential complexity of that wine. Nevertheless, it exhibits a deep ruby/plum/purple color, superb ripeness and richness, amazing density, moderate tannin, and a long, heady finish. Notions of mulberries, black cherries, licorice, truffles, caramel, and toasty oak emerge from this big Pomerol. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Petrus’s 2004 production (3000+ cases) was nearly twice what was achieved in 2003 and 2002. Surprisingly broad, dense, and opulent (a descriptor not often applied to 2004 Bordeaux), it possesses a deep ruby/purple color, terrific purity, and notes of mulberries, sweet cherries, black fruits, scorched earth, Chinese black tea, and a hint of truffles. With full body, moderately high tannin, and impressive depth and length, it should be at its apogee between 2011-2025+.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The dark plum/ruby-tinged 2004 Petrus possesses high acidity as well as copious amounts of sweet cherries and black currants intermixed with hints of cola, earth, and truffles. Deep, medium-bodied, concentrated, ripe flavors are excruciatingly firm and tannic. This backward, structured, muscular Pomerol requires a decade of cellaring, but it possesses the potential to be the longest lived wine of the vintage, lasting 30-40 years. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2004 Petrus is not one of the strongest wines of the decade, though it remains a fine Pomerol. The bouquet does not hold back with splendid fruit concentration: floral top notes with pressed violets and shaved black truffles, traits I observed in previous bottles. The palate is gracefully moving into its secondary phase with touches of tobacco and warm gravel infusing the red fruit. However, there is a conservative element to this Petrus that opts to play it safe. You do not feel as if it will evolve into something more, which begs the question whether you should continue cellaring it? I see no harm in pulling bottles now, larger formats later.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep medium red. Subtly complex aromas of mulberry, red cherry, toffee, caramel, iron and flowers. A bit narrow on entry, then expands in the middle palate without any loss of focus. A very firmly built, vibrant and classy 2004 with a tight mineral core and ineffable spice character. This is by far the most backward 2004 in the Moueix portfolio. Finishes with terrific aromatic persistence and subtlety. This will surely evolve in the direction of toffee and truffle and may ultimately merit an even higher rating.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good medium-deep red. Captivating aromas of blueberry, flowers, minerals and iron. Round, ripe, creamy and sweet, with impressive volume and richness. Captivating suggestions of mulberry and iron. Broad and sweet on the back half, finishing with serious but very suave tannins and long, slow-mounting fruits and flowers.
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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