CRITIC REVIEWS
Georgina Hindle
Aromatic and so perfumed but this really comes alive in the glass with coffee, chocolate, tobacco, blackcurrant and ripe cherry fruit - smells potent, opulent, rich and concentrated. Round, supple and agile in the mouth, a lovely intensity of dark bramble fruit accented by massy, chewy tannins that have a sharp edge to them - a vein of chalky, graphite minerality with high mouthwatering acidity. You get the power and intensity of a hot year, intensity and depth, layers of ripe fruit but with sweet, sharp and sour accents too, all giving such interest and nuance. A really appealing weight, extremely moreish and darkly charming with lift at the end. On the more generous side in all the areas with the acidity carrying the wine to a long finish. Really has the Pomerol typicality that you want - depth and richness - but giving brightness and sense of life that makes this a clear success. 3.63pH. 5-6% press wine. Harvest started on 1 September, the same date as 2003, and finished on 7 September.
William Kelley
The 2022 Pétrus has turned out brilliantly, bursting with aromas of mulberries, cherries, raspberries and violets, followed by a full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate thats ample and enveloping, its succulent core of fruit entirely concealing its sweet structuring tannins. Concluding with a long, resonant finish, its purity of fruit and structural suavity are deceptively effortless, but in reality result from incredible attention to detail in a vintage like this. Olivier Berrouet felt that maturity hadnt yet been attained by late August, picking a little later, with the core of the vineyard harvested on September sixth and seventh. Low yields and elevated concentration led him to reduce pumping over but prolong vatting, letting the wine take its time to come together. While I dont think it will quite rival the brilliant 2020 (time will tell!), it is a superb achievement and remarkably harmonious for such an extreme vintage.