1985 Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux

Magnum kindly given to me to commemorate his father by Edmund Penning-Rowsell Jr. Shared to celebrate E P-R's centenary.

Dark vibrant blackish ruby. Heady and immediately glamorous nose. Straight from the magnum a bit austere though with no shortage of density. Briary. Not as luscious and sweet and many Petrus vintages are but utterly in character for E P-R. I suspect he would have approved of this rather Medocain rendition. Impressive on the finish. Needs to open out a bit.

Two hours later from the decanter: Gloriously rich and expansive and much more typically Petrus. A very rewarding Pomerol with a combination of sweetness and lifted leafiness. Not the most opulent vintage but extremely satisfying. Note the alcohol level, 12.6%. Drink 1998 - 2028.

18/20, Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2013