Petrus Pomerol 2013

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 10 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.