Vinous - Score: 87 (2018 September)

The 1996 Petrus has never been an endearing wine and this, the third or fourth bottle that I have tasted, does nothing to change my indifference. It has a slightly herbaceous bouquet that feels enervated when compared to the flamboyant 1998. It just misses the fruit concentration and vivacity you expect from a Petrus, a jalopy stuck in first gear. The palate is medium-bodied, leafy and gentle, with slightly brusque tannin. Sure, there is decent weight on the finish but it flirts with an adjective rarely attributed to this Pomerol. It is just ordinary and Petrus does not do “ordinary”. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at the Épure restaurant in Hong Kong.