Chateau La Fleur Petrus
Regarded as one of the best wineries in Pomerol, known for its elegant and smooth wines such as the Château la Fleur-Petrus 2009, Château la Fleur-Petrus has definitely earned its stripes.
The Château la Fleur-Petrus vineyard is an 18.7 hectares property, provided with 91% Merlot vines, followed by 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdod. The vineyard contains three distinct garden plots, each provided with a distinct grape variety. The southernmost lot vines produce a very silky wine, known for its tones of berries. The second lot is called “Tropchaud” due to its high temperatures, and produces a smooth type of wine with tones of plum. And the last and northernmost lot produces wines with tones of blackberries.
The vineyards are covered with deep clay and gravel on an iron-rich soil type, which provides for the right nutrition of the vines. The grapes mature under natural climatic circumstances, after which they are hand-harvested with the best of care. The wines are fermented in stainless steel and concrete vats and the maturing process takes place in oak barrels for approximately 16 – 18 months.
The château is under the ownership of Jean-Pierre Moueix, a generations long family company that was established in 1937. Jean-Pierre Moueix purchased Château la Fleur-Petrus in 1950 as his first vineyard, followed by Trotanoy in Pomerol and Castles Magdelaine in Saint-Émilion. But one of the greatest achievements of Jean-Pierre Moueix was the acquirement of Château Petrus, which was the highlight of his career. In 1970 Jean-Pierre’s son Christian Moueix joined the family company, followed by Edward Moueix, the third generation in the Moueix family line who joined he family company in 2003. Jean-Pierre Moueix passed away in 2003 as a much respected man, passing on his family legacy to his ancestors.
From 1994 on, the château purchased multiple plots of land, including parts of Château Le Gay and Château Guillot. In fact, in less than 20 years they doubled the size of their vineyards! The wine is aged for approximately 18 months in French oak barrels of which 33% - 50% are new. The annual production of Château Lafleur-Pétrus is about 6000 cases of 12 bottles.
There is no second wine produced at the château. A bottle of La Fleur-Pétrus needs at least 8 – 12 years of aging and top vintages are able to keep for 30 years or more.
The most impressive vintages for Château La Fleur-Pétrus are: 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2001, 2000, 1998, 1982, 1961, 1959, 1955, 1950, 1947 and 1945.