2006 Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux

This displays green coffee bean and raspberry aromas, with a leafy undertone. Full-bodied, with refined tannins and a pretty finish. Very silky and classy. Lasts a long time on the finish. Best after 2014. 2,800 cases made.

Pale to mid ruby. Pale rim. Markedly less rich on the nose than Le Pin. Almost timid in fact! Sweet palate entry and still definite structure. Very strong liquorice and still quite a bit of tannin. At quite a different evolutionary stage than Le Pin – much more youthful. Still lots of tannin and not fully resolved into a bundle of tertiary flavours. Clearly the product of marked maceration. Quite appetising but if I had one bottle I would wait for quite a time before opening it.

Drink 2020 - 2035

Terrific texture, weight and heft on both the nose and the attack. A flush of powerful tannic grip is balanced by stunning acidity and bright silken fruit. Overall, the structure is compellingly insistent, still dancing around the palate, a flourishing, featherweight beauty that demands your attention. Magisterially good.

Drink 2016 - 2035

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Petrus now seems to be evolving more slowly than the 2006 Le Pin: the fruit darker with raspberry coulis, mulberry, hints of marmalade and crushed rose petals coming forth. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, gently gripping the mouth and demonstrating admirable weight and complexity. You might almost think there was some Cabernet Franc towards the finish thanks to the subtle peppery notes coming through. It is probably ready to drink now, but the substance here suggests that it will age for another decade and continue to offer pleasure long after.

Drink 2017 - 2040

Currently closed and backward, this wine seems to share a more similar character to Trotanoy than in any recent vintages I recall. Powerful, structured, masculine, but a long-term proposition, this dark ruby/purple-colored wine displays notes of caramelized, sweet black cherries and wild berry fruit with plenty of spice, earth, and a hint of herbaceousness.

The wine has very high tannins, impressive concentration, but that mouth-searing level of tannin. This is one Petrus that should probably be forgotten for at least 8-10 years and drunk over the following two to three decades. I always find it ironic that Petrus, which is virtually 100% Merlot, is more backward than the first growths of Medoc, which are Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated.

Drink 2017 - 2047

After the fabulous 2005, Pétrus again has produced a magnificent wine in 2006, even if it doesn't hit quite the same heights. It has an immensely powerful structure and concentration, always the hallmark of this wine. But this structure is almost masked by the superbly ripe and fresh fruit. And with all this weight, there is still a sense of proportion, the rich berry fruits, smokiness and light spice beautifully integrated.

Bright medium ruby. Reticent but complex nose opened with air to display an almost roasted ripeness to the aromas of dark berries and licorice. Sweet, deep and lush, showing brooding dark berry and black cherry fruit sexed up by an exotic chocolate liqueur quality. A hugely rich but rather inscrutable wine. This was much deeper in pitch than the Trotanoy I tasted next to it, and missing that wine's ineffable mineral high notes, inner-mouth perfume and impression of harmoniousness. Is this simply too young to assess today? Time will tell.