(98-100) The 2018 Petrus is a brilliant wine that has perfection written all over it, and it’s unquestionably one of the most powerful, opulent wines in the vintage. As always, it’s 100% Merlot and offers a heavenly bouquet of cassis, smoke, earth, graphite, and beautiful liquid violets. Full-bodied, deep, and opulent on the palate, I must have written “huge wine!” three or four times in my notes, and despite all its power and richness, it’s seamless, light on its feet, and already hard to resist. Possessing terrific mid-palate depth, sweet tannins, and a finish that ranks with the greatest wines out there, Merlot or any wine for that matter, doesn’t get better. If you’re lucky enough to have a few bottles of this elixir, do your best to give bottles 7-8 years in the cellar, and I suspect it will keep for 40-50 years.

( 98-100) The color of the ancient and priceless Sunrise Ruby replete with ornate reflections of royal purple, this wine moves you. Its perfume begins with a lightning bolt of flowers, cocoa, truffle, licorice, black cherry and even blacker plums. On the palate, the wine is extraordinarily concentrated. The fruit tastes and feels darker than usual with more command, opulence, depth and length. The flavors are expansive, moving from plummy mid-palate to a spicy, licorice, dark chocolate, mint and kirschwasser finish that remains with you for well over 60 seconds! The wine reached 14.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. The harvest took place September 13-27 and the wine is aging in 50% new, French oak barrels. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/search-wine-tasting-notes/?szSearch=2018+Petrus

The 2018 Petrus has retained its opaque purple-black color after bottling, foreshadowing the seemingly frozen-in-time glacial pace at which this wine is proceeding. It opens very reluctantly, requiring considerable air with vigorous swirling and doggedly demands a few hours before it offers glimpses at this slumbering giant of a wine. As it eventually unfurls, it slowly morphs into a powerful, fantastically pure nose of preserved plums, blackberry preserves and blueberry compote, followed by nuances of molten licorice, dark chocolate, black truffles, iron ore and, still later, floral notions of lilacs and rose oil come through. The full-bodied palate is taut, muscular and oh-so-tightly wound at this stage, revealing peeks at many, many layers of perfectly ripe black and blue fruits, exotic spices and earthy notions for which words simply fail. The texture is at once rock solid and fantastically plush, with impeccably knit freshness, finishing so long you really can't taste or think of anything else for the rest of the day. Here is a heart-stopping titan that puts paid to all those naysayers who contest that perfection in wine cannot exist. It will require a good 8-10 years to hit its stride, then it is very likely to outlive us all, but you will want to make certain you drink this one before you go. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

(97–99) Barrel Sample. This is a dark, serious wine, concentrated with richness and freshness at the same time. The ripe tannins are impeccably balanced by fine acidity and a ripe blackberry flavor. It shows the supreme quality of Pomerol's Merlots in this vintage. Of course, it will age for nearly forever.

Clear flesh to the plump damson fruits, alongside grilled caramel, graphite, cassis bud and cocoa bean. The tannins are plentiful, but they are plush, ripe and flexible, and as such are full of Pomerol signature. As it opens through the palate, you realise just how much grip and persistency there is, and the more serious side asserts itself, with bitter cocoa shavings and fresh acidities. A more approachable Petrus at this early stage than in many years, but the kick is there and this is getting set for the long term. 50% new oak, 3.6 pH. A yield of 37hl/ha. Bottled in July after two months in vat following end of barrel ageing.

In a vintage that favoured Merlot, it's hard to ignore that Petrus should be on your list of wines to lay down. You won't even have to wait as long as in years such as 2016 or 2019 for this Petrus to come around, as the tannins are a little more pliable than you usually find in the early years. But there is kick and concentration here, with fleshy damson and cassis fruits, plush and luxurious with cocoa pod, grilled almonds, graphite and cigar box. 50% new oak, 3.6ph. 37hl/ha yield. Brilliant stuff from winemaker Olivier Berrouet.

Plush and inviting, with steeped red and black currant and fig flavors that meld nicely with fruitcake, Christmas pudding and anise notes through the finish. Subtle dark earth hint at the end keeps it grounded. The vintage's slightly austere edge is here, but is minimized by the fruit, helping this stand apart from the pack. Best from 2023 through 2034. — J.M.