Beautiful length and depth here for the vintage, with blackberry, raspberry and blueberry character. Cloves and sandalwood, too. Full and layered. Ripe and ample, yet balanced and fresh. Crunchy and very bright.
James Suckling, May 2022

A luminous, compelling and memorable Petrus, one of the absolute standouts in 2021. Expressions of dark crimson berries, damson, plums, raspberries, redcurrant fruit, blackcurrant, touches of blood orange zest, cherry perfume and pink flowers on the nose - I could go on..! The aromatic intensity is exceptional and just so beguiling. This has such a seamless continuation of flavours and aromas from start to finish - a consistency, all flowing gracefully - neat, clear and pure. You're not going to find the most rich, dense or exuberant of wines here, that's obvious given the vintage conditions, but this is such an excellent wine from Olivier Berrouet working with the vintage. There is a taffeta quality to the fine and layered tannins that coat the mouth and give an aerial sensation. Juicy and succulent, the acidity comprises part of the structure and carries the expression of the red berry and stone fruit and salty minerality that appears on the finish. Structured with backbone, this is confident in its intensity and momentum but still so refined and finessed. Sublime in its delicacy and grace giving a gentle energy.

The 2021 Pétrus was picked from September 30 until October 9 and aged in the usual 50% new oak. It has a completely different aromatic profile compared to the previous vintages, a return to the Petrus that I know at this stage. It made me think of the 2008, possibly the 2014: cool and linear, refined, very complex, offering lightly spiced red fruit with a small pinch of Chinese five-spice. The fresh, focused palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, good depth and fine tannins, and as usual, it opens exquisitely with aeration, becoming linear and very saline. Long and sustained toward the finish. This Pétrus represents one of the few 2021s that will rank alongside the 2019 or 2020. Neal Martin, Vinous, May 2022

From barrel, the 2021 Pétrus was decidedly muscular and introverted, but élevage has certainly tamed it, delivering a result that's much more sensual and charming than I could have imagined. Offering up aromas of ripe cherries, mulberries, rose petals, licorice and violets, it's full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a suave, seamless, lively profile and a bright, perfumed finish. This wine, which was racked out of barrel two months earlier than usual, will offer an unusually broad drinking window. In style, it reminds me somewhat of the estate's 2011.

This steals up on you, with rose petals, raspberry leaf and white truffle aromatics. Expect a more linear wine than the polar opposite 2022 vintage of Petrus, and enjoy the delicate floral character. As it opens some of the characteristic density of Petrus arrives, with richer black cherry, damson, cocoa bean, cloves and grilled spice. Great balance and delicacy, will age 15 to 20 years easily. The nature of the vintage has been respected, and it's a hard one to score to be honest, because there is a lot to love here, but it is atypical of Petrus for collectors. Has definitely found its character over ageing, and is full of pleasure but this is a 94 Petrus. Might well be a 96 for pretty much any other wine, but if you are a regular Petrus drinker, you should expect an earlier drinking version. Harvest September 30 to October 5, 33hl/h yield. Shortened the time in barrel for ageing but kept at 50% new oak.

To say Petrus is a benchmark wine in Bordeaux is to state the obvious, but it’s fair to say that when this wine doesn't blow you away En Primeur, you know you are up against a challenging year. It's not to say this isn't impressive - there is density, as ever, and concentration, helped by the sticky clays that always encourage water stress even in difficult years, but the black fruits don't have the flesh that has been so abundant over recent vintages. As it opens, violet and peony aromatics begin to uncurl, along with earthier black truffle notes and waves of ferns, rosebuds, and liquorice bud. This has character and juice, showcasing many of the best things about the vintage, but not rising above it. Around 20% lower crop than usual, with a final yield of 33hl/h, harvest September 30 to October 5, 33hl/h yield.
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux, May 2022

One of the most structured, introverted wines of the appellation, the 2021 Pétrus unwinds in the glass with aromas of sweet cherries, licorice and black truffle, framed by an extremely discreet patina from its élevage in barrel. Full-bodied, ample and concentrated, it's lively and intensely flavored, built around bright acids and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the long, sapid finish. This is a terrific effort in a challenging vintage from Olivier Berrouet and his team, but it will require patience.
William Kelley, April 2022

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Petrus marches out of the glass with powerful scents of ripe plums, blackberry preserves, and black raspberries, followed by notes of tar, chargrill, tilled soil, and cast-iron pan with a touch of cardamom, violets, and lavender. The aromatics explode after a few moments. Medium-bodied, the palate is bright, vibrant, and minerally, with a lively line of freshness, very plush, fine-grained tannins, and loads of minerally sparks lifting the black fruits, finishing long and earthy.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, May 2022

The 2021 Petrus is terrific. Elegant, refined and aromatically present, the 2021 is a Petrus built on linear energy and persistence more than volume. Crushed red berry fruit, blood orange, cinnamon and sweet floral accents are all finely knit together, framed by discreet oak (50% new) and vibrant saline underpinnings that lend energy. Medium in body, the 2021 is wonderfully finessed from start to finish. It will be interesting to see if it gains a bit more depth with élevage. Technical Director Olivier Berrouet was especially selective. About 60% of the vineyard was used. Yields were 33 hectoliters per hectare as opposed to the more typical 36/37. Musts were lightly chaptalized. "It was a year without sun. Debourrement (budbreak) was the same time as 2020, but harvest was three weeks later," he explained.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2022

An elegant, civilized expression of this terroir, the 2021 Château Petrus is, as always, 100% Merlot and it's medium to full-bodied, with an almost bloody edge to its ripe red and black fruits as well as notes of tobacco, sappy flowers, and iron. With beautiful mid-palate depth, fine tannins, and a layered, elegant mouthfeel that has solid underlying structure, it's going to be ready to go with just 4-6 years of bottle age and evolve gracefully over the following two decades.

Complete wine with a certain concentration of fruit and fine quality of tannins. Crushed-fruit aromas with a hint of smoke. Round and full on the palate with well-integrated tannins providing a firmness and length on the finish. Constant from beginning to end. (JL) 13.3%
Drink 2030 – 2050
Jancisrobinson.com, May 2022