Petrus

Pétrus

Classification: Grand Cru
Pétrus is one of the most expensive wines in the world and is one of the most celebrated, receiving top scores from wine critics. Although wines from the Pomerol appellation are not classified, Pétrus ranks as a First Growth. There is no grand château at the property and Pétrus is named after Saint Peter ( Pétrus being the Latin for Peter) who is depicted holding the keys to the gates of heaven on the label. Pétrus was owned by the Arnaud family in the 19^th century and was the first Pomerol estate to wine a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition in 1878, at a time when such an award carried real weight. It's rise to greater fame began under Madame Loubat in the 1930s and a few years after her death in 1961 Pétrus was purchased by the Moueix family, a company of wine merchants from Libourne.

Jean-Pierre Moueix, was born in Corrèze in 1913, and arrived with his parents in Saint Emilion following the 1929 depression. In 1937, he founded his wine merchant business on the Quai du Priourat in Libourne. At that time, the wines of Libourne were little known. Moueix was astute to foresee the Merlot grape’s ability to age as well as their natural charm and ability to seduce. He spent his life promoting these wines internationally. Today the company is run by Christian Moueix.

Pétrus lies 130 feet up on the plateau of Pomerol and covers 30 acres. The grapes grown as 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and the vines are unusually old and are only replanted after they reach 70 years of age. Replanting takes place plot by plot, instead of vine by vine, in order to guarantee that the average age of vines is maintained at a high level. The beauty of Pétrus' wines lies in its terroir which is exceptional. The vineyards lie on black iron rich clay which is the richest in the region. This black clay is broken by the limestone substrata, Calcaires à Asteries, which contains fossilised shell fish. Pétrus is the only vineyard in Pomerol where this limestone bursts up through the surface into the soil, giving Pétrus soils which are more than a hundred million years older than thosec surrounding it. Known as Pétrus Boutonnière (Pétrus' button) the calcareous clay swells with moisture and helps retain it through dry periods, creating a unique environment for the vines.

Wine Style
The wines of Pétrus are fabulously rich, deeply intense and powerful with great longevity. They have flavours of preserved fruits: ripe mulberries, black cherries and blackcurrants, vanilla, truffles, minerals, smoke and liquorice. They should be cellared correctly and will lay down for decades.

Owner: The Moueix Family (also own Châteaux La Fleur Pétrus, Lagrange, Magdeleine, Lafleur Gazin, Le Grave, Certan Marzelle, Latour à Pomerol, Providence, Hosanna and Trotenoy)
Chateau Website:  www.moueix.com 
Oenologist: J C Berrouet