Pétrus 1976
Pomerol, cru exceptionnel
Levels: one bottom neck, one top shoulder; scuffed capsules at top, one wine stained label
2 bottles per lot

Type: Red Wine
Grape Varietal: Cabernet Franc/Merlot Blend
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux

ABOUT THE WINE
Within the world of fine wine appreciation, there is something of an ‘ultra-elite,’ an inner-circle that few wines will ever enter. This is a group of maybe five or six, almost exclusively French wines, whose prices and reputations exceed those of all others. Pétrus could be said to be the archduke of this noble assembly. In the best vintages few wines compare in terms of price or critical acclaim, these wines are best known for their power, concentration and multi-layered complexity. Pétrus is the ultimate expression of the opulence and charm that right bank wines can deliver when at their best. The vineyard is located in Pomerol on a plateau dominated by iron-rich (crasse de fer) clay soils that give the wines their structure and power. They are well drained due to a gentle slope. The clay content retains some water which reduces hydric stress and creates a cooler mesoclimate that is ideally suited to the early ripening Merlot. The average age of the vines is 45 years. Grapes are picked early to retain acidity which provides freshness, finesse and elegance to the wines rather than baked jammy flavours that can sometimes be a result of later harvesting. Grapes are sorted twice, then de-stemmed and fermented in cement vats, although since 2005 two stainless steel tanks were added to the winery which has increased the options for parcel selections. Generally indigenous yeasts are used, although cultured yeasts are also considered as an option. Vinification is traditional with pumping over and malolactic fermentation taking place in tank, and the press wine is kept apart until January when the quality is assessed and up to 7% might be blended back in. The wine spends around two years in new oak with rackings every three months, fining with egg-whites and filtered only when absolutely necessary. Pétrus, unusually for Bordeaux, is almost entirely Merlot as in practice Cabernet Franc is rarely included in the blend. As Stephen Brook writes in The Complete Bordeaux “the name Pétrus conjures up Bordeaux at its most splendid, most rarified, and most luxurious….. Pétrus is a sumptuous wine.”