1996 Chateau Petrus Pomerol

Yes, it's legendary and extravagantly priced. But this wine, from a prime vineyard on well-drained clay soil atop the Pomerol plateau, has for decades stood as the greatest example of Merlot in the world. Chateau Petrus makes a wine that is extraordinarily creamy and thick but with the substantial tannic underpinning to ensure decades of development in bottle. The panoply of exotic aromas and flavors typically encompasses black raspberry, mulberry, iron, cocoa powder, truffle and expensive new oak. Apart from the notoriety (or is it fame) that accompanies Pétrus' prices, the estate is also known for being one of the first in Bordeaux to embrace green-harvesting.

Yes, it's legendary and extravagantly priced. But this wine, from a prime vineyard on well-drained clay soil atop the Pomerol plateau, has for decades stood as the greatest example of Merlot in the world. Chateau Petrus makes a wine that is extraordinarily creamy and thick but wit... more