Petrus, the story of a legend!
Petrus is the stuff that dreams are made of– ranking as one of the world’s rarest and most expensive wines since the middle of the 20th century.
The unique story of Petrus began with the Arnaud family who sold a share of the Estate to Libournaise hotelier, Madame Edmond LOUBAT, in 1925, before selling it to them in its entirety in 1945.
After acquiring the exclusive selling rights for Chateau Petrus in 1945, the brilliant wine merchant, Jean Pierre Moueix realized that competition from established players in France was too fierce and so began expanding the label overseas. He began building the Estates’ international reputation in Britain and the US, with his wines served at Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillips’ wedding in 1947. In the 1960s, it also became a status symbol in the US after John KENNEDY identified it as his favourite wine.
In 1961, Madame LOUBAT’s niece and nephew, Monsieur Lignac and Madame Lacoste inherited the Estate.
Several years later, Monsieur LIGNAC left his stake in the Estate to Jean-Pierre MOUEIX, sharing ownership with Madame Lacoste until she subsequently sold her remaining share to the Moueix family.
Since 2001, the estate has been owned by Jean-Pierre Moueix’s son, Jean-François Moueix, and since 2008 managed by his other son, Christian Moueix,
In 2014, the next generation, Jean Moueix (Jean François’ son) took over general management of the Estate.
The Petrus estate’s vineyards sit on a gently rising slope in Pomerol at an altitude of 40 m. The unique style and dimensions of the wine come from the magical interplay of the blue clay and the iron elements present in the soil and the nearly 100% Merlot grapes.
The Estate’s distinctive soil can be largely attributed to a fine clay called ‘Montmorillonite’ that is known for its ability to swell with water and help regulate the amount the vines are able to reach at the right times to optimise plant balance. According to Petrus winemaker, Olivier Berrouet, ‘this makes the wines incredibly intense, concentrated and multi-dimensional with an extraordinary charm’
The wine has also benefitted from the involvement of Jean Claude Berrouet, who first worked at the ‘Technical Institute of Vines and Wine Sciences’ before joining Jean-Pierre Moueix in 1964 at the Petrus Estate to manage the estate’s winemaking and run its various properties.
Jean Claude has a very clear, rich vision of his job, ‘The oenologist is at the starting point of it all – the grape. Like the conductor of an orchestra, he follows the notes and the music but adds his own feeling and emotion. There’s no secret formula or recipe. We produce a different wine every year by varying the inputs and by adapting all we do to the particular natural circumstances that year’
Since 2008, Jean Claude Berrouet’s son Olivier Berrouet, has taken on the role of working with the team at Petrus and overseeing the continuation of this gem of an Estate.
Interesting Fact:
In 2014, Architects Jean-Pierre Errath and Bernard Mazieres developed a new vat cellar adapted to plot by plot fermentation for the Estate….
For Jean-Claude Berrouet, this grand cru became what it is today thanks to its ability to, “complement” Bordeaux wines. The oenologist explains how, ‘Saint Emilion is known for its light, airy, delicate style and its finesse; wine from Médoc is more austere and needs time to develop. Whereas Pomerol and specifically Petrus, surprise us with their sensuality. Petrus rose to where it is today in an organic and unplanned way”
Our Collections !
Composition from 1975 to 2017
Composition from 1985 to 2015
Robert Parker Scores
1921 : 100 points
1929 : 100 points
1945 : 98 points
1949 : 95 points
1950 : 99 points
1959 : 93 points
1961 : 100 points
1964 : 99 points
1966 : 95 points
1967 : 99 points
1970 : 99 points
1975 : 98+ points
1982 : 93 points
1985 : 88 points
1989 : 100 points
1990 : 100 points
1998 : 98 points
2000 : 100 points
2005 : 97 + points
2009 : 100 points
2010 : 100 points
2015 : 98-100 points
Extrait Dico Du Vin, Article Le Point, Wikipédia
