The Petrus was certainly not afraid of the big, bad Lafleur, and the 2002 Petrus quickly showed why. It was the best of the 2002 bunch (what else is new). Fresh aromas of garden tickled my nose at first. It seemingly had great everything - fruit, spice, tang, sweet citrus, a hint of game and a 'so sexy' perfume. Alex agreed with me, hailing it 'clearly the best of 02.' Flavors of garden, pungent flower and great spice rounded out this beauty.

Good full red. Red plum, minerals, coffee, cocoa powder and sexy oak on the nose. Densely packed and round but cool, with rich, full red fruit flavors spreading out to saturate the entire mouth. Just a hint of austerity to remind the taster of the vintage. Finishes with excellent length for 2002 and good, ripe tannins.

Gorgeous subtle aromas of crushed raspberries and light vanilla, with hints of spices. Medium- to full-bodied, with wonderfully seductive, silky tannins. Beautiful slinky finish. Pétrus is very fine indeed in this vintage. Not overdone, all in the right place.

Lustrous dark crimson. Liquorice notes and and some real sumptuousness on the nose. Very rich and ripe. This was the easiest wine to identify. The sweetness and exotic nature is hard to resist. But it didn’t improve overnight.