Petrus Pomerol 2017 (75cl, 14.5%)

A 100% Merlot from Pomerol, Bordeaux, bottled at 14.5% ABV in a 750ml format. This vintage earned 98 points from Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, 98 points from Wine Spectator and 98 points from James Suckling. Petrus sits atop the Pomerol plateau at roughly 40 metres elevation, where its vines plunge roots into a distinctive layer of blue clay — a dense, sticky smectite formation millions of years old that retains water exceptionally well. Petrus is the only Pomerol vineyard composed entirely of this rare blue clay over subsoils of hard iron. Grapes are strictly hand-harvested, destemmed and gently crushed before fermentation in concrete vats with approximately 30 days of maceration. Since the 2011 vintage, the estate has committed exclusively to Merlot. Serve at cellar temperature, around 16–18°C (61–64°F), in large-bowled Bordeaux glasses. Decanting for at least two hours allows the wine's complex aromatics to fully open.