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PETRUS 2018 VINTAGE EN PRIMEUR

“A great wine has the capacity to give you a taste of the fruit minutes after tasting it.” OLIVIER BERROUET April 2019

THE KEY TO PETRUS “I hate to let you down… Nobody thinks to record the birth of a legend.” NEAL MARTIN, POMEROL (2012)

The name Petrus derives from Petros, or St Peter, who is pictured on the wine’s label (iconic and, if you look closely, endearingly quirky), holding a key. The key to the cellar, or to the kingdom of heaven? Perhaps it works for both. The land which became Petrus is mentioned in the Pomerol archives of 1746, although the name itself dates from the end of the 18th century. In 1837, the wine first appears in the list of a Bordeaux broker. In the 1898 edition of the reference tome Féret*, Petrus was ranked as the top wine in Pomerol, a status it holds to this day. Olivier Berrouet now wields the key to Petrus. Olivier (pictured right) has already proven himself a worthy successor to his father, from whom he took over in the 2008 vintage. Our video interview, on the enclosed USB stick, gives an insight into the new era of this greatest of Pomerol estates.

GUY SEDDON Fine Wine Buyer, August 2019

* Bordeaux et Ses Vins, Cocks et Féret

Olivier Berrouet

THE VINEYARD Petrus’ famous ‘buttonhole of clay’ is made of smectite, a mineral also found in Morey-Saint-Denis… and on the surface of Mars. The smectite at Petrus is thought to date back to the Oligocene era, nearly 40 million years ago. This blue-hued patch of clay lies beneath some 90% of the 11.5 hectares of vines at Petrus. It is highly fertile and moisture-retentive. In the parched 2003 vintage, the green leaves of Petrus lay amidst a sea of brown on the Pomerol plateau. This natural fertility is tempered by Pomerol’s gravel, which starts approximately 60cm beneath the surface at Petrus. Drainage is further aided by the gentle slopes, which rise away from you as you stand in the courtyard. The vineyard itself, as Olivier Berrouet’s map opposite shows, is composed of twelve sub-plots. The two largest plots, Mario and Guy, are named after former vineyard workers. The proximity of Petrus’ neighbours is acknowledged in the names Certan and L’Evangile.

Map is reproduced here by kind permission of Neal Martin, Wine Journal Publishing and Olivier Berrouet

VINEYARD HOLDINGS 2018 VINTAGE Size (hectares)

Plantings

Average Vine Age (yrs)

Soil

Yield

Harvest Dates

11.5ha

100% Merlot

Iron rich clay

37 hl/ha

13th-27th September

THE CELLAR Gently does it.

Grapes are sorted twice and are 100% destemmed. A short pre-fermentation maceration of one or two days is followed by fermentation in concrete vats, with each vat treated as a separate entity. Tannins are extracted by pumping-over, never punching down. In 2018 however, the particular richness of tannin meant that the cellar team had to be careful not to extract too much. Cuvaison (maceration on skins) took a little over two weeks, with no pumping-over at all, just a gentle “infusion” from the skins. In Olivier Berrouet’s words, “we had a longer maceration but we moved less wine”. Malolactic fermentation takes place in cement vats. JeanClaude Berrouet experimented with malolactic in barrel during the 1970s but found it gave excessive oak aromas. In 2018, the wine was transferred to barrel at the end of November. The oak is 50% new, 50% one year old.

THE 2018 VINTAGE “We knew it would be a very intense, dense, powerful vintage, but this structure had to be devoted to the service of the rest of the wine.” OLIVIER BERROUET APRIL 2019

Winter 2017-18 was cold and severe, followed by a very wet March and April. Bud-break at the end of March was in line with average. Flowering took place under excellent conditions at the beginning of June.

This textbook start to the growing season laid the groundwork for a high quality vintage. The vines had regenerated thanks to the cold, the soil was charged with water reserves and the delicate flowers were plentiful. Temperatures in July and August were 1°C below average. The summer saw only a third of normal rainfall, but this was tempered by the spongy clay soils of Petrus which retained the spring moisture. Conditions were ideal for grape ripening: the mild water stress channelled nutrients to the berries, whilst fresher temperatures preserved Merlot’s aromatic elegance. As Olivier Berrouet explained during our tasting, “We had no pressure with the climate or any disease, but at some points we had to be very reactive, because especially with Merlot, you can lose the complexity in the grapes if you wait too long… The challenge was to understand the maturity and the way the vines evolved during the season.”

Some light rain at the end of August and in early September eased the berries towards full maturity. Picking took place from 13th to 27th September under excellent, dry conditions; a relatively wide window during which, as Olivier remarked, “We had to be very patient.” The result was a beautiful crop of healthy grapes, which was transferred immediately to vat. As described in the cellar section, a very gentle maceration was followed by malolactic fermentation in vat, before the wines were put into barrel at the end of November. The oak barrels are 50% new oak, 50% one year old. When asked whether 2018 resembled any other vintage – one of those impossible questions which wine merchants are so fond of asking – Jean-Claude Berrouet said it reminded him of Petrus 1947. If you have been lucky enough to drink it (I have not), then this may be helpful… Perhaps in an attempt to find our level, Olivier Berrouet suggested a comparison with Austin Powers – for the background to that, you must watch our video interview on the enclosed USB stick!

TASTING NOTE By Adam Brett-Smith PETRUS 2018

Darkest ruby colour that coats the glass. The nose is subdued at first, compressed, with flashes only of profound, deepest red fruit. Later there are threads of almost Asiatic spices, cedar and mint with an astonishing freshness and flare to the perfume. The palate is silken rich, supremely concentrated with massive but powder fine tannins, and with that hallmark of 2018, a lifted freshness and purity that finesses the evident power of the wine quite effortlessly. The quality of the tannins is such that I wrote rather pathetically in the margin ‘They caress the palate then softly, insistently pound it’. The balance of this wine is perfect, three point landing perfect and the length extraordinary. One of the very great Petrus’.

Corney & Barrow Score 19 - 19.5 Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2050 £11,500/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £5,750/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK £3,845/Case of 1 magnum, in bond UK

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.

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.

ensure the integrity of secondary market distribution, something which is of great concern to Petrus.

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

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

• 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.

May we please have your order by Thursday 22nd August. Allocations will be completed by Thursday 29th 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 Friday 27th September. We reserve the right to re-allocate 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.

• Should you wish to sell the wine in the future, please offer Corney & Barrow first refusal as this will also

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