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  • Country ranking ?

    208
  • Producer ranking ?

    10
  • Decanting time

    3h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    lamb in mild spices cooked at low temperature

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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A case of Chateau Petrus 1990 fetched $45,938 and 12 bottles of the same producer’s 1989 vintage sold for $42,875 to lead a Sotheby’s wine auction in New York dominated by buyers from North and South America.

The auction shows renewed buyer appetite for older Bordeaux vintages and rare Burgundies following price declines for younger wines, particularly first-growth claret. The Liv-ex 100 Fine Wine Index has retreated for 14 consecutive months, resulting in a 13 percent drop since March 2013.

Both top lots went to a Latin American buyer while nine bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982 Bordeaux sold for $27,563 to a U.S. trade client, according to an e-mailed statement from Sotheby’s. Six magnums of La Tache 1998 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Burgundy sold for $24,500 while a single bottle of Romanee-Conti 1990 DRC fetched $19,600.

The sales reflect “really strong prices for the best producers and best domaines in Burgundy,” Duncan Sterling, head of New York wine auctions at Sotheby’s, said in a phone interview. “The American market is looking healthy.”

Petrus 1990 more than tripled in price on the London-based Liv-ex online wine exchange from 2005 to 2011, reaching 36,000 pounds ($61,000) a case in May 2011 at the height of the bull market for Bordeaux before retreating to 31,728 pounds last July.

Collectors have shunned the three most recent Bordeaux vintages, deterred by high prices and poor weather that harmed the crop during the growing season.

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The Story

Drinking Pétrus may be an unforgettable experience. We has been lucky to have the opportunity to taste most of its great vintages. That is why wine enthusiasts often come to us for advice. First, WeI advise you to choose a good vintage, an excellent one if your wallet allows. If you taste a poor vintage, you will notice how it raises above most other wines of the same vintage, but you will miss the actual point of Pétrus.

Second, purchase wine that is at least 10 to 20 years old, because a young Pétrus is difficult to approach, besides which oak and tannins predominate in its taste. Young Pétrus may be impressive, but it ages fantastically and requires more time than any other Pomerol wine to reach its culmination. Finally, We would advise you to decant the wine with care and well in advance, and also to give it time to develop in the glass. Then you will have the opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable experience.

 

Little known 50 years ago, this château has seen the rise of a myth about the uniqueness of its wine. The wine’s inimatibility is due to many factors, first of all, an exceptional terroir - 40 meters above sea level, the highest point of the appellation - with a layer of heavy clay soil and an iron subsoil. These are ideal conditions for the expression of the Merlot grape. With such a special terroir, the approach in the vineyard and cellar is traditional and respectful.

The work done in the vineyard is fastidious - severe pruning in the winter, regular ploughing, crop-thinning, de-leafing, manicuring the clusters in the summer - and allows the perfect ripening of the fruit. The grape are manually harvested within two afternoons and sorted before crush.

Fermentation is carried out gently, without any overextraction, in temperature-controlled concrete tanks. The blend, very often pure Merlot, is defined in December and the young wine is aged in 100% new oak barrels.

This property made famous by Madame Edmond Loubat and then by Monsieur Jean-Pierre Moueix, culminates at 130 feet on the plateau of Pomerol. Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix is responsible for the cultivation, vinification and aging as well as the export distribution of Petrus wines.

 

 

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Wine Information

A hailed vintage together with 1989. They were very similar but the hot period that hit in 1989 on July was in 1990 on August.
This affected on lower acidity levels in grapes on 1990 vintage. The wines are rounder and seem to mature more rapidly than 1989 vintage.

Soil: dark clay
Production area: 12ha
Grape varieties: 95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Average age of vines: 42-45 years
Harvest method: hand picked
Winemaking: fermentations take place in thermo-regulated concrete tanks
Ageing: 100% new oak barrels for 18-20 months

 

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Average Bottle Price

2023 2020 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2005 2000 1995
4 120€ +12.9% 3 650€ +5.8% 3 450€ +11.7% 3 090€ +42.4% 2 170€ -23.7% 2 843€ -18.5% 3 487€ +26.5% 2 756€ -8.2% 3 002€ +14.1% 2 632€ +83.8% 1 432€ +81.5% 789€ +14.8% 687€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Full

ending

Long

flavors

Voluptuous, Smoky and Truffles

nose

Refined

recommend

Yes

taste

Well-structured, Complex, Full-bodied, Round, Rich, Ripe and Silky tannins

Written Notes

The 1990 Petrus showed me lots of open chocolate notes. It was ripe with lots of wheat, coconut and other exotic bits. I loved its length, but it was no match for the 1989 (95).

  • 95p

The 1990 Petrus is a fabulous wine even if I have found more bottle variation than the 1989. This is incontrovertibly a great bottle, better than the one poured at the "Pomerol Comparative Tasting". It has a sensual and heartwarming bouquet of mulberry, raspberry, autumn leaves, wild heather and a touch of roasted chestnut. There is something animally about this Petrus that you might ascribe to brettanomyces but in this case it is just the character of the secondary aromas. The palate is rounded and smooth. Supple and languorous, there are layers of red fruit infused with sage, thyme and black tea. The 1990 is extraordinarily persistent, a crescendo that dares to show up the imperious 1989 that is more linear and “correct” by comparison. The 1989 might be a better Petrus, however, you could argue that the 1990 is simply more enjoyable. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at the Épure restaurant in Hong Kong.

  • 97p

Bright crimson. Surprisingly light nose when just decanted with a hint of putty. Something like woodsmoke ashes. Big, sweet and mouthfilling. Almost tarry. Much bigger and bolder than any other 1990. Massive constitution but some slightly dry tannins on the finish. A little bit more like an assault than a caress (compared to the Cheval Blanc 1990). Should be one of the longest living 1990s.

  • 95p
Petrus 1990 / Deep developing dark red colour. Rich and pronounced licorice nose with red berry freshness, dust and bell pepper. Fascinating spectrum of aromas and positive development in the glass. Also the palate drinks perfectly today: fresh and firm with voluptuous fruitiness and a substantial finish. Benchmark Pétrus. Drink within the next 15 years. 96 points
  • 96p
Deep developing dark red colour. Rich and pronounced licorice nose with red berry freshness, dust and bell pepper. Fascinating spectrum of aromas and positive development in the glass. Rich wine on palate with firm ripe tannins, ripe cassis and plums with blueberries, elegant touch of oak with vanilla, licorice and chocolate flavours. Also the palate drinks perfectly today: fresh and firm with voluptuous fruitiness and a substantial finish. Benchmark Pétrus. Drink within the next 15 years.
  • 96p
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Information

Origin

Bordeaux, Pomerol

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Satisfactory

Investment potential

Excellent

Fake factory

Serious

Glass time

2h

Other wines from this producer

Saute-Loup Reserve de La Famille

Inside Information

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate / The 1990 Petrus remains incredibly young, one of the least evolved wines of the vintage (along with Montrose and Beausejour-Duffau). This dense ruby/purple-colored effort is beginning to hint at the massive richness and full-bodied intensity lurking beneath its wall of tannin. The vintage's sweetness, low acidity, and velvety tannins are present in abundance, and the wine is massive in the mouth as well as incredibly pure and well-delineated. I thought it would be drinkable by now, but it appears another 5-10 years will pass before it begins to reach its plateau of maturity. This wine is capable of lasting at least four more decades. An incredible achievement!

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