Chateau Petrus

There is no château at Petrus. No grand building, no tower, no ceremonial gates, just a small winery situated next to 11.5 hectares of vineyards on a clay plateau in Pomerol. And, despite that, Petrus has become one of the most sought-after and expensive wines in the world. That success is almost entirely down to what happens in the Pomerol vineyards and winemaking facilities.

History

The first reference to the name ‘Petrus’ dates back to the mid-18th century, when a plot of land in Gazin (Gazène) in Pomerol was sold to Jacques Meyraud. During the following decades, the estate was sold to other owners several times. By the 19th century the Arnaud family bought the estate and owned it for around 200 years.

The modern era of Petrus began in 1945, when Madame Edmond Louba became the sole owner and struck a deal with Jean-Pierre Moue, a wine merchant from Libourne, giving him all the distribution rights on an exclusive basis. Mouet introduced the name Petrus to the American market, and the wine’s international reputation started to grow instantly.

When Madame Louba died in 1961, her shares were divided up, but Jean-Pierre Mouet started to buy the shares in the following years. He finally was the owner of all the shares in 1969, after acquiring the remaining shares from the Lacoste family. He also purchased 5 hectares from the neighbouring Château Gazin.

Jean-Pierre Mouet passed away in 2003, and the estate then passed to his son, Jean-François. Since 2008, winemaking has been managed by Olivier Berrouet, whose father, Jean-Claude Berrouet, held this position for 44 years prior to him.

Vineyards

The vineyards cover an area of 11.5 hectares on an elevated plateau in the eastern part of Pomerol, at the highest point of this appellation, which ensures natural drainage. The average age of the vines is around 40 years.

Yields are among the lowest in Bordeaux, partly due to green pruning, which in some years can mean removing up to 50 per cent of the crop. Annual production is around 30,000 bottles.

Terroir

It's all about terroir and soil and at Petrus it is no different: one of the deciding factors is its soil: a thick layer of blue-grey clay, rich in iron and known to locals as ‘crasse de fer’. Neighbouring chateaux also have some of this clay, but ‘Petrus’ occupies a virtually unique position: its entire vineyard is situated directly on this layer. This clay retains water during dry periods and drains relatively quickly after heavy rain, acting as a natural regulator that is perfect for Merlot and better than almost any other grape variety. The higher position of the plateau also ensures slightly warmer temperatures than in the lower parts of Pomerol.

Grapes

The vineyard is almost entirely planted with Merlot, approximately 95 percent with 5 percent Cabernet Franc, The final wine blend is 100 percent Merlot since 2010. 

Winemaking

The harvest takes five or six days and is done exclusively by hand: picking the grapes is only done in the afternoon, once the morning dew has completely dried from the berries. That prevents the grape juice from dilution with water before fermentation.

After harvesting, the grapes are destemmed and sorted twice. A short pre-fermentation maceration, lasting one or two days, is followed by fermentation in concrete vats, each of which is managed individually depending on the progress of the process. Malolactic fermentation also takes place in the vats to preserve the purity of the fruit flavour.

Then, at the end of November, the wine is transferred to barrels and aged in oak for around 18–20 months, typically with approximately 50 per cent in new barrels and 50 per cent in barrels that have been used for one year.

The wine is bottled without filtration.

Wines

Petrus produces just one wine. There are no second labels. Just one red wine, every year, from a single vineyard, made from a single grape variety. Production volumes depend entirely on the harvest of a particular year, and in years when the quality does not meet the standards, the wine is simply not produced. In 1956, 1965 and 1991, Petrus was not produced.

The best vintages

The wine is one of the most expensive and celebrated red wines from Bordeaux and an excellent investment, even in more classic than excellent vintages. Legendary vintages are: 1929, 1945, 1947, 1950, 1961, 1964, 1982, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2020.

3 facts worth knowing

1. The word ‘château’ does not appear on the label. Although it is universally referred to as ‘Château Pétrus’ in conversation, the word ‘château’ has never appeared on the Pétrus label. There is no château building on the estate, and the owners have never attempted to create any other impression.
2. In wet years, when damp grapes could dilute the juice even before harvesting, Petrus used helicopters flying at low altitude over the vineyard to dry the grapes with the airflow from their rotors. This technique was widely used in 1992.
3. There is no official classification in Pomerol. Unlike the Médoc, Graves and Saint-Émilion, there has never been an official classification system in Pomerol. Petrus is not a ‘Premier Grand Cru Classé’ and does not qualify as a first-growth wine in any legal sense.