Petrus 2021

PETRUS

2021 VINTAGE EN PRIMEUR EXCLUSIVE TO CORNEY & BARROW IN THE UK

“2021 is about balance, elegance and a long aromatic profile.”

OLIVIER BERROUET, JULY 2022

TRUTH, NOT ILLUSION “The goal in 2021 was to understand the vintage and its weird maturity process, and to make a wine in line with that reality. If you try to hide the truth, the illusion won’t last.”

OLIVIER BERROUET, JULY 2022 Petrus 2021 is Olivier Berrouet’s 13th full vintage at the helm, since his debut in 2009 (the 2008 vintage having been a co-production with his father, the great JeanClaude Berrouet). Unlucky 13 for some, but not for Olivier, who has by general consensus made a 2021 to perch nonchalantly alongside his 2020 and 2019.

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We tasted it with him in April 2022, at the estate. Hearing his first-hand account, both in Pomerol and again last month in London, an observation that struck me was that the fruit of Petrus’ famous blue clay soils must be harvested ripe, for the palate structure he seeks.

The long 2021 growing season, with its elusive sunshine and warmth, meant the team had to hang on for an extra three weeks compared to 2020 before picking. That must have been an agonising wait, especially when it became a game of chicken with predictions of rain.

Anyway, you can relax. It’s turned out fine again. A product of the season, certainly – lower in alcohol, with the most beguiling peonies and exotic spices – and Olivier’s all-important mid-palate delivers nothing less than a full symphony orchestra of volume.

The truth of Petrus is quite enough. Save your illusions for where they’re needed.

GUY SEDDON, FINE WINE BUYER August 2022

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Olivier Berrouet

THE VINEYARD Petrus’ famous ‘buttonhole of clay’, which can be seen on the map below, is a blue-hued patch of smectite, a quirk of the Pomerol landscape, which lies beneath around 90% of the 11.5 hectares of the estate’s vines. It is thought to date back to the Oligocene era, nearly 40 million years ago.

access to highly concentrated nutrients. Drainage is further aided by the gentle slopes.

The vineyard itself has twelve sub-plots, shown on Olivier Berrouet’s map opposite. As Neal Martin says in his book Pomerol, it is so unusual to see it broken down into these individual parcels that several of the commune’s winemakers failed to recognise it as Petrus in this ‘insider’ format. The two largest plots, Mario and Guy, are named after former vineyard workers, with neighbouring châteaux acknowledged in the names Certan and L’Évangile.

The buttonhole is aptly named, being an aperture in the surrounding gravel plateau, exposing the vine roots directly to the fertile and moisture-retentive clay below.

There is nonetheless also gravel at Petrus, starting some 60cm beneath the surface, which moderates this ready

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Reproduced by kind permission of Neal Martin and Wine Journal Publishing

VINEYARD HOLDINGS 2021 VINTAGE Size (hectares)

Plantings

Average Vine Age (yrs)

Soil

Yield

Harvest Dates

11.5ha

100% Merlot

43

Iron rich clay

30hl/ha

30th September to 4th October

Reproduced by kind permission of Neal Martin, Wine Journal Publishing and Olivier Berrouet

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© Graphique et Terroir - Cadastral map overlaying the GPS reading, October 2015

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THE CELLAR The Petrus cellars, which were totally renovated in 2012, are havens of calm. In these tranquil surroundings, wines have the breathing space they need for unhurried élevage.

After being destemmed, grapes are sorted twice. A short pre-fermentation maceration of one or two days is followed by fermentation in concrete vats, with each vat handled according to its own development.

Tannins are extracted as gently as possible, with pumping-over at the start of vinification.

Malolactic fermentation also takes place in vat, to prioritise fruit purity over oak character. The wine is typically transferred to barrel at the end of November.

As usual, Petrus 2021 is maturing in 50% new oak, 50% one year old.

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The Doors to Petrus

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THE 2021 VINTAGE “Like F1 – small adjustments all the time” OLIVIER BERROUET, APRIL 2022 Speaking about the growing season during our tasting at Petrus in April 2022, Olivier Berrouet singled out the “lack of sunshine” as the defining factor of the 2021 season. The summer saw 250 fewer hours than in 2020. This slowed the growing cycle of the vines.

Interestingly, the 2020 and 2021 seasons started at similar paces: budbreak at Petrus occurred around 20th March for both. However, harvest in 2021 took place three weeks later than in 2020.

Peak ripeness was finally reached at the end of September, with the heart of Petrus being picked from 30th September to 4th October. Following some rain on 5th and 6th October, the outlying sectors were picked on 9th October, but were not used in the final blend.

Olivier spoke of “two big moments you need to manage” – harvest and vinification. Once the grapes are safely picked, the first factor is “fixed”. You then have an “objective diagnostic on the quality of the grapes, based on which you adapt the vinification.”

The challenge in 2021 was avoiding an overly “dominant tannic structure” whilst ensuring “a very well-structured mid-palate.” Small adjustments, or ‘marginal gains’ perhaps – call it what you will, it works.

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TASTING NOTE

By Adam Brett-Smith PETRUS 2021

Petrus. April 22nd 2022, 11.30am. With a view through the windows of its fabled vines, of the nascent buds and delicate youth of the new vintage, it was difficult not to shed the overwrought, frequently overwritten negativity surrounding this most challenging of vintages. It helped, of course, that Petrus was one of the very first wines we tasted during en primeur week, setting the bar ridiculously high for the tastings which were to follow, but it was mostly because Petrus itself is a beautiful wine in 2021, a cerebral, reverse of the slope* wine. Or, perhaps, more readily understood, like that first tentative kiss… irresistible but only a hint of the pleasures yet to come.

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Profound ruby colour. Dark, fathomlessly dark plum, red, earthy fruits on the nose, a touch of violets, fresh, very finely perfumed. The palate is faceted rather than layered, intricately flavoured with super fine tannins; the power evenly, seamlessly spread across the length of the wine, with a beautifully juicy fruit concentration that blooms across the mouth. Lovely, silky, sustained, effortlessly long finish.

Difficult to compare to any other recent vintage and with so much still in reserve. I have a feeling that this is the sleeper of the vintage.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 - 18+ Recommended drinking from 2030 -2055+ £5,490/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £3,670/Case of 1 magnum, in bond UK *a military tactic in which the major strength of a force remains hidden behind a slope

Tasting Guide Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark.

When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.

Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.

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THE ALLOCATION PROCESS We are often asked by customers for guidance on what they should request.

Our suggestion is that you simply order what you would ideally like to receive.

• Petrus’ and Corney & Barrow’s focus is on the private customer, as a consumer rather than a speculator.

• Petrus is bought on the clear understanding that the wine will be stored and delivered in the UK only.

• To offer protection against counterfeit wines and parallel marketing, each case and bottle will show a unique identification number which will be logged against each customer. These identity numbers are tamper proof and will offer customers a legitimacy and protection that is at the heart of the massive investment that the Moueix family have made in their distribution.

In future and as a further refinement, each customer will be able to check via an app the origin of each bottle through an alphanumeric code and graphic signature.

• Should you wish to sell the wine in the future, please offer Corney & Barrow first refusal as this will also ensure the integrity of secondary market distribution, something which is of great concern to Petrus.

• Priority will be given to Petrus’ and Corney & Barrow’s best, most loyal and most regular customers.

May we please have your order by Wednesday 24th August. Allocations will be completed by Tuesday 30th August. Confirmation of order will be through receipt of invoice and the wines will be allocated to your reserve upon payment. As detailed above, all orders are conditional upon UK storage only. May we please request that invoices are paid in full by Wednesday 28th September. We reserve the right to reallocate your order to other customers on the waiting list if payment is not received by this time. Do please speak to our sales team, who will be delighted to help you further.

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CONTACT US LONDON 1 Thomas More Street London E1W 1YZ T +44 (0)20 7265 2400 sales@corneyandbarrow.com

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Watch Adam Brett-Smith interview Olivier Berrouet at Petrus Simply type this URL into your browser: www.candblibrary.co.uk/2021-petrus

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