Pétrus 2003

Fleshy, fat, and already sexy, the dark plum/purple-tinged 2003 Petrus is exceptionally ripe and rich. While not as exotic as its rival, Lafleur, it is rich, heady, and loaded. A tour de force in winemaking for Pomerol, it vindicates Christian Moueix’s decision to harvest nearly all his Merlot on September 3 and 4, and the Cabernet Franc on September 17. However, production is tiny ... less than 1,700 cases. Full-bodied, powerful, and exceptionally pure without losing its nobility and elegance, this stunning Petrus can be drunk in 2-3 years or cellared for three decades.

A tiny production and probably the earliest harvest ever at Petrus (September 3, 4, and 17, the latter date for the Cabernet Franc), this is one of the great wines and an extraordinary achievement for a Pomerol in this vintage. It was the famous blue clay terroir of Petrus that saved this vineyard from the drought conditions that undid most of the nearby Pomerols, which possess more gravel and sand in their soils. There are only 1,650 cases of the 2003 Petrus as opposed to 1,780 cases of the 2002 (production in abundant years is 4,000 cases). This extraordinarily dense, powerful, full-bodied wine has a dark plum/purple color to the rim and an exceptional bouquet of black raspberries, sweet cherries, vanilla, licorice, and a hint of fig. The wine is powerful and full-bodied with magnificent concentration, huge structure, yet amazing freshness and overall elegance given the size, muscle, and power of this wine. Qualitatively towering above every other Pomerol as well as most of the neighboring St.-Emilions, it is a wine of great density, nobility, and potential longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040.

The only Pomerol vineyard to be planted in a deep bed of blue clay, Petrus, which harvested its Merlot in a mere three days during the first week of September (2nd, 3rd, and 4th), did not suffer as much from this historical heat as many of its neighbors, whose vineyards are planted in more gravelly soils. Hence it has produced one of the finest 2003s of Bordeaux’s right bank. However, the production is small, with only 1,650 cases made. The alcohol of 13 - 13.5% was not as high as Christian Moueix suspected, but the acidity levels were low, and the pH running at 3.9 plus, which gives the wine a fat, multilayered, fleshy, textural mouthfeel. The deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by an exceptional nose of jammy red and black fruits intermixed with notions of licorice, vanillin, and underbrush. Full-bodied and opulent, with great intensity as well as noteworthy freshness, and no evidence of over-ripeness (prunes, raisins, etc.), this blockbuster is a remarkable achievement, especially given the style of other Pomerols produced adjacent to this hallowed vineyard. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.