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lloydy
Grape Picker
Posts:1
 | | 04/26/2007 9:41 AM |
| Has anyone tried petrus. What kind of wines might lead up to appreciating it?
lloyd | | | |
| jason
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts:6756
| | 04/27/2007 5:38 PM |
| Since no one else has answered I guess I will.
Yes I have had Petrus 6 different times (though only 4 different vintages), with 3 more to be added to that list in July. I am not sure if there are any specific wines that might lead one to appreciate Petrus more. I would say that to put Petrus in the context of why people think it is so good (outside of rarity and price) one would need to taste other Bordeaux, both Cab and Merlot based. By doing this you are going to familiarize yourself with the structure, texture, flow, balance, nuance and aromatics of these wines. I guess once a solid foundation is there, you are able to better understand or recognize the quality of Petrus and what sets it apart.
I know people outside of my normal wine group that will only drink grand cru Burg. Only DRC, Leroy, Dujac, Leflaive, Coche-Dury etc. To me the context is lost when you are not trying a larger spectrum of wines and producers from all different levels. How can you know Burgundy, or grasp it when all you drink are the best. Does that even make sense??
Hope that helped some. | | | |
| Rothko
Palm Beach
Wine Thief
Posts:2843
| | 04/30/2007 4:15 PM |
| I've never tried Petrus, but a number of years ago I bought some 96 and 98 Petrus, which I have cellared ever since. Frankly, I am concerned about whether I should open these bottles and drink them, or, given the prices which I could probably now get if I sold them, whether it might be better to just consider selling them (something which I have never done, and don't really want to do - I buy wine to drink it, not for investment purposes). Still, I don't know if I'll ever be that proficient in wine-tasting to justify opening up a $1000+ bottle of wine. | | | |
| saut
Grape Fermenter
Posts:442
| | 05/06/2007 1:27 AM |
| This is an excellent question. Why do people insist on Louis Vuitton purses or Hermes soap? I think that Petrus (along with DRC and soon some other wines like Mouton and Yquem) have moved beyond the appreciation for wine qualities into the realm of things appreciated for their cost. Why drink a bottle of Petrus? To see if you like the house style and want to buy the 2005s en primeur? I think not.Â
Yes, there is something magical about Yquem and Petrus (personally I prefer Lafleur, HA!), but you must be a wealthy person indeed to say the cost is unimportant. Now, enjoying a bottle may be as much about the attention of everyone in the dining room as they open your bottle versus the wafting frangrance of violets and liquorice that fill your glass.  Savor it on all the levels...it is an experience not to be missed.
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| David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts:15701
| | 05/06/2007 2:22 AM |
| Saut,
I agree and disagree. If Louis Vuitton or Hermes didn't make a superior product it wouldn't keep selling as well as it does. Likewise with DRC, Petrus and Yquem. If you want a superior product you have to pay for it. If you pay a lot of money for what you expect to be a superior product and it isn't that product will fall off the list of desirable products. The reputation the product has built up must be maintained.
The "prestege" thing is another story. I personally think that the three wines mentioned above are superior 95% of the time and yes, people will salute when one is opened. But the prestege factor is definitely there with some not-so-hot-so wines like Silver Oak and Opus. I would like to think that if one is really wine-savy this prestege factor doesn't play out as much. I get more excited if the table next to me has a bottle of Siduri Pinot Noir on it. The Opus table is usually someone who has probably not tasted a great wine.
I say this over and over: What do you call a person who has not tasted a great wine? The answer is "Lucky". | | | |
| saut
Grape Fermenter
Posts:442
| | 05/07/2007 2:15 AM |
| Davidn:
You caught me...just the ol' saut being bitter because I can't afford them!
As such, I am left to search out the "stunners" among the rest of the wine rabble. Perhaps the best preparation for drinking an "a pointe" Petrus is a lifetime of drinking other wines...
Then again, I think if you have the patience and interest to explore what is going on, you can appreciate a great wine. The only way these wines can be wasted is to serve them to people who don't care, imho. In that case, there are plenty of good wines out there that they will enjoy just as much.
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| David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts:15701
| | 05/07/2007 11:13 AM |
| "The only way these wines can be wasted is to serve them to people who don't care" or DON'T GET IT!
And unfortunately that is probably where most of Petrus gets consumed. They are purchased in restaurants by business people trying to impress other business people. Most of these people wouldn't know the difference between Petrus and $2-Chuck.
"Image" wines:
Petrus
Mouton
Lafette
Silver Oak
Opus 1
Jordan
99% of the great labels we drink no one has ever heard of outiside of wine circles.
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