Petrus, Pomerol 2009

Truly flavoursome, the blackberry, raspberry puree and rich black cherry fruits here are dense, generous and fully ripe, but manage to retain a savoury rosemary, coffee bean and black olive edge. It makes you smile involuntarily, in that way that great wine does. You almost want to forbid people from eating anything with this wine, at least for the first glass, and certainly forbid them from putting it on a table with other trophy wines where its impact will be softened. It demands - and should receive - full concentration. Textured slate runs through the mid-palate and brings a jolt of minerality through the finish. You could drink this today after carafing but you just know that it's barely out of the starting blocks.

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Petrus gives up glorious scents of preserved plums, redcurrant jelly, dried rose petals, blackberry compote and mulberries with touches of licorice, Chinese five spice and fragrant earth. Full, rich, plushly textured and oh-so-decadent, it reveals layer upon layer of spice box, black fruit and ferrous notions, finishing long and fragrant.

Tons of truffle and chocolate make this lush and fleshy Pomerol very seductive. The power and concentration are impressive, but right at the opulent and silky finish there's just a hint of warmth from the alcohol. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)

The 2009 Petrus is surprisingly backward on the nose compared directly with the 2009 Le Pin, demanding a lot of coaxing. Initially broody, it then begins to flourish with wild strawberry, cranberry, crushed stone and black truffle, all beautifully defined but very succinct. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins lending an almost cashmere texture. Hints of leather and mocha infused the mainly red fruit, but where this Petrus really shines is within the unearthly precision on the finish and the enormously long aftertaste. Brilliant. Tasted at BI Wines' & Spirits Ten Year On tasting.