Red colour fading to orange at the rim. The nose was incredible: an ethereal mix of red fruits, forest, perhaps a bit of spice, it entranced and made an indescribable impression. The palate started out light and thin but put on weight over the two hours it was in our glasses. At its worst it came across a bit hollow, at its best it showed wonderful elegance and complexity. There were many changes over the course of the night. Not the best wine I have drank, but certainly memorable and enjoyable. And the main thing was that my wife enjoyed it and helped make her birthday celebration special.

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I remember how thrilling the 1981 Petrus was from cask, but it has never performed as well from bottle. I have continued to downgrade it. In this tasting, the wine exhibited an understated, light, washed-out personality, with vegetal cherry/coffee-flavored fruit in the nose intermingled with scents of spicy oak. Tart, lean, and austere, this is a Medoc-like tasting wine without any of the Petrus sweetness, chewiness, or unctuosity. This must be one of the most overrated wines of the past two decades. As there was virtually no sediment in this 16-year old wine, I wonder if it was excessively fined and/or filtered? Anticipated maturity: 2000-2015.

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