I have had a case of Petrus 1971 stored properly since shortly after release, and this is the second bottle of it that I have opened. The wine cost about US $33 per bottle on release. I now notice that bottles in good condition now often sell for over $1000 at retail and even over $2000 in some restaurants. I, of course, would not buy this wine today at the present price, despite the quality.
The fill was low neck, and the cork was sound. The color still was quite deep with only slight age showing around the rim. The wine is now fully mature, but should hold many more years. The wine is quite complex and intense with mixed black fruit such as cassis, blackberry, and a bit of black cherry. There is a bit of complex spice, and a bit of earthy, truffle like character. The tannins are well resolved, and the acid balance is correct. The aftertaste is extremely long. There are a few other vintages of Petrus that may be a bit better for current drinking, but not by much. Some of the more recent highly rated and expensive vintages of Petrus likely will improve considerably with several more years of age. Of course storage is all important for a wine of this age, and you can even manage to harm a vintage port with
35 years of poor storage.I had the wine with a rack of lamb from Lobel's, which was a very good match, especially with the sauce that contained true winter black truffles. Truffles go very well with Petrus, and truffles served as a side dish with a sauce as sometimes was done in the 1800s likely would be one of the best matches possible, although exceedingly expensive today.