Chateau Petrus, one of the world's greatest estates
Petrus. Perhaps no other single word in the world of wine conjures up so much allure, mystique, reverence and luxury. A pure Merlot wine hailing from blue clay soils on the eastern side of the Pomerol appellation in the southwest of France, this unclassified gem consistently reaches higher prices than Bordeaux's First Growths from across the river. Stemming from an ideal terroir, Petrus wine sluices forth enfolding dark fruit and chocolate aromas on the nose. Velvety smooth tannins coat the palate and the texture lingers on for what seems like an eternity. Discover the legendary vintages of Petrus, crafted to age and evolve following many years in the bottle.
Despite never having been officially classified, Petrus (commonly called Chateau Petrus) is one of the single best-known estates in the Bordeaux wine region, in France. Petrus crafts some of the rarest and most sought-after wines in the world, whose most avid fans have included Queen Elizabeth II (who served it at her engagement party) and President Kennedy.
The rich history of Petrus
A late start but a high riser
The first written records of Chateau Petrus hark back to 1837, when many of the prestigious chateaux of the Medoc, on the Left Bank of the Bordeaux region, had already established their reputation. At this time, the estate constituted only 7 hectares (17 acres) and was owned by the Arnaud family. Despite not having been classified, the wines of Petrus already enjoyed a beaming reputation at the time, which earned them a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1878.
The Arnaud family gradually sold the estate to Madame Edmond Loubat between 1925 and 1949. Soon after acquiring the estate, Madame Loubat designed a new label for its wine, one which depicts St. Peter holding the keys of Heaven. A few years later, she commissioned a statue of the saint, which is still at the estate today. Although Madame Loubat never doubted the potential of Petrus, it was in fact the passionate Jean-Pierre Moueix who elevated the reputation of the estate and placed it among the world's finest wine references.
France and beyond, a growing worldwide reputation
Originally from the Correze region, Jean-Pierre Moueix settled in Libourne, where he established his own wine merchant business. In 1945, he obtained the exclusive rights to sell Petrus wines. Instead of focusing on the domestic market, which still associated the concept of "grand vin rouge" (fine red wines) with the Medoc, Moueix decided to market the wines of Petrus abroad, in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the 1950s and 1960s, Petrus became one of the favorite wines of the Kennedy family, firmly establishing its reputation among American wine lovers. Petrus was also served at the Royal Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1947 and also was a guest of honor at the Queen's coronation in 1953.
Madame Loubat remained a passionate vintner until her passing in 1961, after which Petrus was divided between her niece Lily-Paul Lacoste-Loubat and nephew M. Lignac. Moueix was also given a small share as a way to keep him involved in the estate's future. In 1964, Jean-Pierre Moueix acquired M. Lignac's shares. That same year, Petrus hired the talented winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet, who - along with the viticulturist Michel Gillet – would produce 44 vintages and elevate the wines of Petrus to their modern-day glory.
In 1969, the Petrus estate expanded its surface area, by purchasing 5 hectares (12 acres) of vines from Chateau Gazin. Eventually, the Moueix family also purchased Mme Lacoste-Loubat's shares, and thus, they became the sole owners of the estate.
Following the passing of Jean-Pierre Moueix in 2003, his oldest son Jean-François took over as the estate's manager, while his younger brother Christian Moueix became the Technical Director of Petrus. So, who owns Petrus today? The estate belongs to Jean-François Moueix and his family, who remain its majority owners. Since 2018, a minority stake of about 20% has been held by Colombian-American investor Alejandro Santo Domingo.
At the end of the 2007 vintage, Jean-Claude Berrouet retired but remained a consultant for Petrus. With the 2008 vintage, Jean-Claude's son Olivier Berrouet became the winemaker of the estate. During the "Moueix regime" at Petrus, several changes were made. Cabernet Franc, which during Madame Loubat's ownership of the estate made up around 20% of the vineyard, was reduced to only around 5%. This varietal was only included in the Grand Vin during fine winemaking years.
And after the 2010 harvest, the 0.5-hectare patch of Cabernet Franc vines was entirely uprooted. Since then Petrus wines have been made with exclusively Merlot grapes. This was a decision determined by the terroir, as the Moueix family believe that the cooler climate and clay soils of the estate are better suited to the Merlot varietal than any other grape. Already in the early 1970s, Christian Moueix pioneered the use of organic methods (i.e. crop thinning), well before these practices became more widespread. The estate has also modernized its wine cellar, with an optical sorter replacing manual sorting in 2009.
Petrus wines: the fruit of a fine terroir and boundless expertise
The king of Pomerol, Bordeaux
The 28-acre estate is located on the highest part of the prestigious Pomerol appellation on Bordeaux's Right Bank. The vines of Chateau Petrus Pomerol are planted in soil rich with black clay, upon a subsoil composed of hard iron, also called crasse de fer. Petrus is the only vineyard in Pomerol entirely composed of blue clay soils, which date back 40 million years, while the rest of the appellation is characterized by thick gravel, dating back 1 million years. This ensures excellent drainage, as the rain is stored by the clay and replenishes the vines during the dry summer months. The blue clay layer also forces the roots of the vines to spread sideways, which is believed to give Petrus its signature smooth tannins. The soil formation is ideal for the Merlot varietal. In fact, Merlot accounts for nearly 96% of the estate's vines and is used to produce a Grand Vin made exclusively of Merlot, a rarity among the properties of Bordeaux. Since 2011, Chateau Petrus only comprises Merlot vines.
The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand and it is carried out after the morning dew has fully evaporated in order to avoid dilution. The teams make sure that all the vines are perfectly healthy. In the event of rainy vintages, Petrus uses plastic sheeting to shield the soil or even helicopters to fan dry the vineyard after a downpour. At the winery, stemmer-crushers are used to remove the stems before carrying out a gentle crushing. Fermentation is then carried out in concrete vats, with the maceration usually lasting between 15 to 21 days to encourage a slow and steady extraction of tannins. The wines are pumped over once per day, half in the morning, and the other half at night. After maceration, the wines are transferred to another vat for malolactic fermentation. The wines are then selected for the final blend. The blend is aged in oak barrels, of which only 50% are new and even these new barrels are soaked for 15 days in water to rid them of any overpowering flavors. The aging time varies and depends on the characteristics of each winemaking year. However, the aging period ranges between 18 to 20 months. The wine is then bottled without filtration.
The Inimitable Signature Style of Petrus
Merlot vines rooted in Bordeaux soil
When we think of the Merlot varietal and Bordeaux, we assume that it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which is conventionally the case. This varietal enjoys a cool climate and thus thrives in Saint Emilion and Pomerol, on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. In the glass, it reveals a bright ruby color that evolves towards a garnet shade when aged.
What does Petrus taste like?
Petrus wines boast an inimitable signature style, venerated by lovers of fine Bordeaux wine. Extraordinarily complex, they offer an exotic feel that sets them apart from the classic red wines of the Bordeaux region and elevates them to a whole other level.
On the nose, a remarkably nuanced bouquet reveals notes of exotic fruit, dark fruit, cassis (blackcurrant), blackberry, plum, black cherry, violet, cinnamon and truffle, along with Merlot's typical dark chocolate aromas. On the palate, these rich, full-bodied red wines are velvety, intensely concentrated and truly powerful. Their smooth texture, intense flavors and baffling length stay on the mind and the palate long after the last sip.
A bottle of Petrus should always be aged in bottle for at least 15 years before tasting, and the best bottlings can age gracefully in your cellar for more than fifty years. An utter treasure for any wine collector or wine lover. Some of the finest vintages produced by Petrus in recent years are 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2016, each with its own personality:
2000: a powerful, ripe and deeply concentrated vintage, awarded a perfect 100 points by Robert Parker.
2005: a structured, balanced vintage with firm tannins and remarkable long-term aging potential.
2009: opulent and generous, with ripe, rich fruit and a velvety texture (100 points from Robert Parker).
2010: concentrated and powerful, with a firm tannic backbone built for the long haul (100 points from Robert Parker).
2015: a rich, full-bodied vintage with great power, volume and complexity.
2016: an elegant, fresh and finely balanced vintage, already admired for its precision.
Accolades from Robert Parker, James Suckling & Gordon Ramsay
One of the most iconic vintages for Petrus was the 1982, lauded by the world's most influential wine critic at the time, Robert Parker. Although Petrus red wines had already been renowned for their quality, Robert Parker's reviews led to even greater international recognition and boosted the price of these wines significantly. James Suckling, another highly-admired wine critic, described Chateau Petrus as his favorite wine and has tasted most of the Petrus vintages. ''Moreish'' is the word that he used to describe these iconic red wines.
Three historic vintages stand out for collectors:
1945: the first great post-war vintage, produced in the very year Jean-Pierre Moueix secured exclusive selling rights. A hot, dry growing season gave a tiny crop of small, highly concentrated grapes. The result is a powerful, long-lived wine of legendary status, and bottles are now exceptionally rare.
1961: the last vintage made under Madame Loubat, who passed away that year. A very small, concentrated crop gave a wine of great purity and depth, rated a perfect 100 points by Robert Parker. It is one of the most coveted old vintages at auction.
1982: a hot, ripe growing season gave a generous crop and a rich, opulent, silky wine, which went on to become a benchmark Bordeaux vintage of the 20th century. It is a favorite of collectors who want a great Petrus from the modern era with a proven track record.
Pairing beautifully with food, one can enjoy fine Petrus wines in their youth or as a matured red wine. The famous British star-studded chef, Gordon Ramsay, named one of his Michelin-starred restaurants in London after this illustrious Pomerol estate. This London restaurant provides an exceptional fine dining experience, by pairing refined dishes with illustrious Petrus wines.
Interesting facts about Petrus
Where is Chateau Petrus?
Draped in mystery, Petrus is a rarity among the great chateaux of Bordeaux. First, "Château Pétrus" is somewhat of a misnomer, albeit a very popular one. While many other estates nearby, notably Chateau Cheval Blanc and Vieux Chateau Certan, feature magnificent chateaux that tower majestically over their vines, you will find no such "Château" at Petrus. The vineyard holds the most importance, rather than the building itself.
Classification
While many of the other fine Bordeaux wines are rated through classification systems that hark back to 1855 (for the reds of the Medoc and sweet whites of Sauternes and Barsac) and 1955 (a recurring classification for Saint-Emilion wines), the wines of Petrus are, surprisingly, not classified. This is because the estate is located in the appellation of Pomerol, which has always rejected the limiting restrictions of a quality-oriented classification system.
Are Petrus wines produced every year?
Unlike many other Bordeaux wineries, Petrus does not produce a second wine. Instead, they sell the unused fruit as bulk. Where this bulk ends up is a well-kept secret. As winemakers depend on the ever-changing weather conditions, sometimes none of the fruit is up to the teams' standards and thus, no Petrus wine is produced. An example of such a vintage is 1991, a challenging year that hit the Right Bank of Bordeaux with a bitter frost in April. Petrus wines are also one of the most commonly counterfeited wines in the world. Now you know, any bottle of Petrus 1991 will be fake.
Even in a successful year, volumes remain tiny: the 28-acre (11.4-hectare) vineyard yields approximately 30,000 bottles per year, or about 2,500 cases. That is a small fraction of what a typical First Growth produces.
What makes Petrus so expensive?
Petrus is one of the most expensive wines in the world, and several factors explain why bottles sell for thousands of dollars.
First, rarity. Petrus is one of the rarest wines of Pomerol. It comes from a small vineyard and has no second wine to increase volumes. Unlike many other Grand Vin wines of Bordeaux, its distribution is extremely limited, so supply can never grow to meet demand. That demand is global. It began with the American market and the Kennedy era and has since spread to collectors around the world.
Second, the collector's appeal. Rare vintages of Petrus are often sold at auction and bought by wine collectors. Certain vintages are especially sought after because of their historic reputation, such as 1945, 1961 and 1982. Older bottles become scarcer every year as they are drunk. For these bottles, provenance and storage condition weigh heavily on value. As the number of bottles shrinks and international demand grows, the most coveted vintages have become true wine assets as well as bottles to enjoy.
Where can I buy Petrus wine?
These wines are often sold at auction for a very high price. At Millesima, the wines are sourced directly from the estate and we are truly honored to include many sought-after Petrus references in our portfolio. When buying a bottle of Petrus, especially an older vintage, provenance matters as much as the label. Petrus is among the most counterfeited wines in the world, so it pays to check the bottle's storage history, its condition (fill level, label, capsule and cork), its traceability and the reliability of the seller. Because our wines are sourced directly from the estate, the origin of your bottle is clear from the start. Double Magnum, Magnum and bottle formats, find the bottle size that will best suit your event or special occasion. Browse our selection of Petrus wines and treat yourself to one of these rare, highly-admired wines now.
