The 2001 Petrus has always been winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet’s favourite vintages. It has developed a truly exquisite bouquet that is both svelte and sensual without any sense of being overbearing. It is almost unaware of its beauty. It gradually opens with tinctures of dried blood merging with ebullient and disarmingly pure red fruit with brilliant delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannin, quite forceful red fruit gripping the senses and then letting go, allowing a subtle savory/cooked meat note to flourish towards the finish. Maybe this bottle was a touch more foursquare than previous ones that I have encountered although that will melt away with time. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at the Épure restaurant in Hong Kong. Sept 2018

As I often say, it's the texture you notice most. And there is no exception here. Luscious, opulent and akin to exotic silks and velvet, the fruits are ripe, sweet and fresh. The truffles, dark cocoa, thyme and myriad of plums with black cherry accents remains on your palate, while the wine expands. Still young, but in a good place, if you are lucky enough, or rich enough to have a few bottles stashed away, you can drink them, or wait for further nuances to make their way into the wine. Tasted July 2017

There’s not many 2001s I know of that will compete with the 2001 Chateau Petrus. Still youthfully ruby in color, it offers an incredibly complex perfume of blackcurrants, forest floor, white truffles and Asian spices. These give way to a full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, opulent, hedonistic, yet also elegant 2001 that has loads of sweet tannin, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a great, great finish. Drink it anytime over the coming 2-3 decades.

Quality 942 | Brand 997 | Economics 969 | buzz brand
Quality: Predicted life of 20 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group, which averages 9 years Brand: #3 Most sought after wine globally, with 69,502 searches on Wine-Searcher per month Economics: More traded at auction than its peers, its top 5 vintages having seen 1,584 75cl equivalent bottles traded in the past year Production: Higher yields than its peer group average of 35 hl/ha

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017