Petrus 2005

The bottle of 2005 Petrus opened at the Pomerol Comparative Exploration tasting was unfortunately corked however, I was able to re-taste the wine at a private dinner a few weeks later. It continues to be blessed with a crystalline bouquet, spell-binding purity with ebullient, vivacious red berry fruit struck through with minerals and subtle floral scents. The palate is intense but not full-bodied, quite ferrous as it has been since I first tasted it from barrel. The structure is backward and perhaps broodier, more introspective than I expected and therefore afford this behemoth a few years in bottle, maybe even around 15 years, before reaching for the corkscrew. Maybe say a little prayer that it is not corked! - Neil Martin