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Tasting Notes
An estate only needs to produce a handful of wines such as the 1961 Petrus to garner an international following. Not surprisingly, the 1961 Petrus was pure perfection. This fully mature wine possesses a port-like richness (reminiscent of the 1947 Petrus and 1947 Cheval Blanc). The color revealed considerable amber and garnet, but the wine is crammed with viscous, thick, over-ripe black-cherry, mocha-tinged fruit flavors. Extremely full-bodied, with huge amounts of glycerin and alcohol, this unctuously-textured, thick wine makes for an awesome mouthful. Imagine a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup laced with layers of coffee and cherry, and encased in a shell of Valrhona chocolate! ||The notes for this wine are taken from the description of Series III - Flight D of the 1995 tasting conducted in Munich by Helga and Hardy Rodenstock. Many years after the tasting from which this note derives allegations were made concerning the authenticity of old and rare bottles of wine sold by Hardy Rodenstock to collectors around the world. The matter has been the subject of numerous articles, litigation and at least one book. Mr. Parker believes that the wines served to him at this tasting were authentic so this note and the others from that specific tasting continue to be posted on eRobertParker.com. Wine Advocate.February, 1996
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Robert Parker
Neal Martin
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The fabled 1961 Petrus is a wine that I know an awful lot about, but never tasted myself. Indeed, it was researching my Pomerol tome that I came across the almost accidental and fortuitous circumstances that surrounded its birth. As always with bottles such as this, I inspected the bottle meticulously, not just the label but the glass, the capsule, the residue inside the capsule, the cork and finally the wine, notwithstanding enquiries about its provenance and juxtaposing directly with other bottles of Petrus tasted on the same day. And here we had context because it was served against a ex-chateau 1961 Palmer. Readers should also note that I showed Jean-Claude Berrouet images of the bottle, cork and capsule and he confirmed that to all intents and purposes, this was the real deal. Its color was commensurate with the vintage, deep at the core with think bricking at the rim. The 1961s have a telltale aromatic trait -- a distant seaweed/iodine-like tang that was present both here and in the 1961 Palmer. I did not discern a hedonistic Pomerol after 55 years, however, you could tell it must have been very concentrated in its youth with vestiges of black plum and blackberry. This marine-like scent ebbed away and the aromatics blossomed in a manner that all great Petrus do, the fruit changing slightly towards red in profile, mulberry and cranberry, all with bewitching delineation. The palate has exquisite balance; it is structured and with solid backbone, not foursquare but certainly more serious and less sensual than say, the 1964 Petrus. It has a wonderful, slightly grainy texture and it felt a little savory/cedar-like on the intense, sweet, luxuriant finish, perhaps those handful of Cabernet Franc vines influencing the persistent aftertaste with just a faint tang of bell pepper? It is a formidable Pomerol, even now in what I would describe as its middle age rather than dotage. As banal as it sounds, it was fundamentally a delicious mature Petrus of staggering beauty, a wine that articulates its age and vintage and place it was born with haunting clarity. Tasted September 2016. Oct 2016, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Ask any wine-lover to name the world’s greatest fine wines, and the answer will invariably include Pétrus.