2013 Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux

The 2013 Pétrus possesses lovely depth and density for the year. Dark red stone fruits, tobacco, smoke and graphite all blossom in the glass. Underlying beams of firm tannin support the fruit nicely. Violets, game, plums and new leather wrap around the finish. Today, the tannins are a bit firm, especially within the context of the vintage, but the wine retains solid balance and has plenty of potential to grow, even if it isn't especially flattering today.According to Olivier Berrouet, poor weather at the end of June was the most critical time of the growing season at Pétrus. The irregular flowering resulted in a loss of 35-40% of the potential crop. Berrouet opted for gentle extractions, although Pétrus remains one of the most outwardly tannic wines of the year at this stage. The 2013 is ageing in 50% new oak and will probably be bottled a little earlier than normal.antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (April 2014)

The 2013 Petrus has a somewhat dour nose, and compared to the Lafleur, it lacks fruit intensity and freshness. There is an underlying herbaceous element here. The palate is medium-bodied with somewhat dry tannins, moderate weight and fine acidity. Given the peppery finish, you might presume there was some Cabernet Franc in the blend. But it is a bit facile within this estate's pantheon of great wines.Drink 2023 - 2030Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (August 2023)

100% MerlotBright, dark ruby. Captivating, extremely pure aromas of fresh blackcurrant, mocha, gunflint and violet. Precise and multilayered, with small dark berry flavours given clarity and cut by lively, harmonious acidity. The finish is complex and very long. Lighter than usual but extremely pure and perfumed, this knockout wine has silkier, smoother tannins than any other 2013 Bordeaux. When I visited Petrus in July 2013, the horrible growing season had Olivier Berrouet fretting like I had never seen before, but he can be proud of what he has achieved in this difficult vintage. Making a great Petrus in outstanding years like 2009 or 2010 is expected, so in some respect, this is Berrouet's best wine yet.Ian D'Agata, Vinous.com.com (May 2014)

Shaded crimson. There's something quite animal about the nose, and the palate is much more jagged than Lafleur's. Maybe it's still evolving, but there's quite a bit of dry tannin, and this seems like it still needs to be ready. Really quite unformed and chunky. However, there is an undertow of complex fruit. Youthful. An extraordinary price!Drink 2024 - 2034jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (February 2023)

The 2013 is a star of the vintage. It exhibits a dense purple colour along with deep mulberry, black cherry and black currant fruit intermixed with a notion of liquorice. Medium-bodied with supple tannins, it reminds me of their over-achieving 1973 in its youth (a wine that transcended the vintage character). The lovely, seductive, fruit-forward 2013 will be drinkable in several years and last 10-15 years thereafter.The harvest took place on October 2-3, and tiny yields of 20 hectoliters per hectare have produced only 1,000 cases (rather than the normal 2,000-3,000). While winemaker and administrator Olivier Berrouet told me 300 vines of Cabernet Franc remain in the vineyard, for all intents and purposes, Petrus has been 100% Merlot for many years.Drink 2014 - 2029Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (August 2014)

In contrast to many estates, Petrus believes ‘above all you should not chaptilise; you need to take what nature gives you and make the most of it. Nature is the boss’. These were the words of winemaker Olivier Berrouet when I was tasting the En Primeur version of this wine, and it was clearly a sensible choice because it still feels unforced and full of pleasure at ten years old. You’ll find both grip and character, the tannins offering finely-boned architecture for the blueberry and blackberry fruit, and there’s a kick of life through the finish. Confident, deft winemaking and, in many ways, an excellent way to approach Petrus and understand a little bit what it is about - although the price difference from other vintages doesn’t reflect the difference in concentration and ageing potential. Harvest took place over three days, 2-4-6 October, bringing in a yield of 25 hl/h compared to 33 hl/h in 2012.Drink 2023 - 2036jane_anson_mw, janeanson_com (February 2022)

Very fine and structured with ultra-fine tannins. Medium-bodied with beautiful density and texture. It has length and grip for the vintage.Drink from 2020 onwardjames_suckling, jamessuckling_com (February 2016)

The difficulties of the vintage are hardly evident here. Very deep in colour, the wine is dense and opulent on the nose, with black cherry aromas. It's ripe, solid, rich, and concentrated, showing ample force and extraction. For 2013, it's powerful, has some grandeur, and is quite unlike the other Pomerols here. Spicy, imposing and long.Drink 2023 - 2032Stephen Brook, Decanter.com (February 2023)

The 2013 Petrus was bottled in June 2015, a month before I visited the property to taste with winemaker, Olivier Berrouet. The idea was to not push too much, he told me. We didn't use too much wood - around 45% new oak. It would be 55% in a good vintage. The pH is 3.55 and it has 13.5% alcohol. It has quite a deep colour for a 2013, very clear and lucid. The nose is undeniably very attractive, gently unfolding with black cherries, iodine, pot pourri and a touch of bilberry. The aromatics are gentle and unassuming, yet still very Pomerol and still very Petrus. The palate is medium-bodied and for a 2013 it is certainly well structured, the tannins imparting a grainy mouthfeel. At the moment it feels saline in the mouth, fresh and with absolutely no sign of greenness. It is a successful wine within the context of the 2013 vintage and I appreciated the sharpness on what you might call its clinical finish. There is not so much in the way of persistence here and it departs out the exit door swiftly rather than abruptly. No, it is not the best Petrus ever made, not by a long chalk, nevertheless it is undoubtedly better than off-vintages in the past such as the 1986 and 1996. Tasted July 2016.Neil Martin - 28/10/2016