TN: Chateau Petrus 1971
 

I bought a case of Chateau Petrus 1971 shortly after release and it
has been stored properly since. This is my third bottle to open. There
were no issues, and the fill was in the low neck. The cork was rather
fragile due to old age, but I was able to pull it in one piece, and it
still sealed well.

This wine has been ready for many years, but it continues to evolve
with a slight increase in complexity. It likely is going to remain in
excellent condition until it is 50 or perhaps more years old, provided
it is stored well and the corks hold..

The color is still dark with only a bit of age showing around the rim.
The bouquet and taste are that of Petrus in all but the worst years -
dark fruit, a hint of mixed spice etc. There is still some tannin, now
rounded, and the the wine is smooth and easy to drink. The acid- fruit-
tannin balance is near perfect. The finish was very long.

The wine was bought for about US$ 33 per bottle. As strange as this
seems to many today, the first growth 1970 red Bordeaux were mostly
selling for the low $20 range then, and Petrus at $33 was considered
an expensive wine. both the 1970 and 1971 Petrus are very fine. In
general the 1970 red Bordeaux wines were rated higher than the usually
lighter 1971 ones. However 1971 Petrus likely was the wine of the
year, and there is nothing light about it. It perhaps is not quite as
full and complex as some of the most highly regarded years such as
1982. Some critics have liked the 1971 Petrus better than the 1970
Petrus at various stages of development, and vv. I checked the current
prices on Wine Tracker Pro for all source from around the world. In US
$, the average price per 750 ml bottle is $2421 for the 1971 and $2434
for the 1970. However there is a spread of a few 1000 dollars for what
various stores and auctions are asking. One store asked for about
$2517 for the 1971. Another store asked $4693 for the 1970. The price
tended to be higher in the Orient and in Germany for the 1970. There
are still a few large format bottles for sale, but so few are
available that good statistics are not possible. I guess that some
high end restaurants might charge a few thousand more.