Offering pure black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, the inky ruby/purple 2005 Petrus is still very young and unyielding, but super-concentrated, powerful, full-bodied and primordial. It is much more backward than the likes of Lafleur, Trotanoy or Hosanna. Nevertheless, it is super-rich, extracted, beautifully balanced and pure. Forget it for another 10-15 years, and drink it over the following half-century. This may well be among the longest-lived wines of 2005.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #219, Jun 2015)

Dark, narrow rimmed ruby red; sweetly ripe, oak-caramel tinged, gently earthy to smell, more mature on the nose than the palate; rich, full, firm, concentrated, tannic; a wine of great long term structure, still marked by its firm fruit and oak tannins; dense on the palate, with a mass of fruit, both very ripe and wonderfully fresh at once; powerful without being in any way heavy, with a great tenacity of flavour, and great aromatic length. A wine of substance and sinew but subtlety too. By some way the most backward of the 2005 First Growths. A great deal of patience will be required. 2030-55+

The 2005 Petrus is dazzling. Rich, ample and explosive, the 2005 possesses magnificent density from start to finish. An exotic mélange of cedar, blood orange, spicebox, mint and dried flowers leads into a core of deep, concentrated fruit. All the elements meld together seamlessly in a Petrus that simply has it all. Readers fortunate enough to taste it will find a statuesque, monumental Petrus that is both powerful and refined. The 2005 continued to improve as I tasted it into the second day. It is without question one of the standout wines of 2005.