Château Pétrus
Encyclopedia
Pétrus is a Bordeaux wine
estate located in the Pomerol
appellation
near its eastern border to Saint-Émilion
. An estate of limited size, it produces a limited production red wine
almost entirely from Merlot
grape
s, on occasion with small amounts of Cabernet Franc
, and produces no second wine
. The estate belongs to the family of the Libourne
wine merchant JP Moueix
.
Although the wines of Pomerol have never been classified, Pétrus is widely regarded as the outstanding wine of the appellation by consensus, and leads a duo of Pomerol estates of extreme prices, along with Le Pin
, that in the modern era are consistently among the world's most expensive wines.
, under listing Crus bourgeois et 1ers artisans Château Pétrus was ranked behind Vieux Château Certan
and alongside Château Trotanoy
. Some vintages of this period were labelled Pétrus-Arnaud. At the Paris Exhibition of 1878, Pétrus won a gold medal, at a time when such an event had great consequence, establishing a selling price at the level of a Médoc second growth, the first wine of Pomerol to do so.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Arnaud family founded La Société Civile du Château Pétrus, which offered shares in the company to the public. Around 1925, owner of the Hôtel Loubat in Libourne
the widow Mme. Edmond Loubat began to buy shares in the estate and continued the acquisition progressively until 1949 when she was the sole owner of the domaine.
With the end of World War II
and the successful 1945 vintage began, according to David Peppercorn
, "the great age of Pétrus". Jean-Pierre Moueix of the Libourne négociant
house Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix
acquired exclusive selling rights of Pétrus in that year and international reputation began to grow. Mme. Loubat, who also owned Château Latour à Pomerol
remained an active vigneronne throughout her life, known for meticulous dedication to detail and quality, and strong determination that her wine deserved to be priced equal to the great crus.
In the following years the partnership with Moueix efficiently became prosperous. Pétrus became introduced in the United States, and the wine was served at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip
in 1947. Mme. Loubat later gifted a case of Pétrus to Buckingham Palace for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
After the 1956 winter frost
that devastated the grape vines of Bordeaux region and killed ⅔ of the Pétrus vineyard, Mme. Loubat decided not to replant but regraft new vines on top of existing survivor rootstocks (the process recépage previously untried in the region), with success, ensuring that the vines' average age remain high and establishing a tradition that has since been followed. Until this year, Pétrus was sold off in cask
, as well as in bottle, which came to an end.
Pétrus' fame in the U.S. grew in the 1960s, with the promotion by Henri Soulé, owner of the Le Pavillon restaurant in New York. According to Alexis Lichine
, "[Pétrus] was served at Le Pavillon in the days when Onassis
sat at a corner table. After that, Château Petrus became a status symbol, the sort of name dropped by people who wish to imply not only that they know wine but that they are in wine".
On the death of Mme. Loubat in 1961, the estate inheritance was divided between a niece and nephew, Mme. Lily Lacoste-Loubat and M. Lignac, and a share was left JP Moueix to allow for equality between two heirs thought to be in conflict and ensure Moueix' continued influence. For a period the estate was represented by the niece, but in 1964 Ets. JP Moueix bought the Lignac shares, and at this time the oenologist Jean-Claude Berrouet became permanently attached to Pétrus. Prior to this, Émile Peynaud had been employed as a part-time consultant. In 1969, 5 hectares (12.4 acre) of vineyard were added to the estate, purchased from neighbouring Château Gazin
.
Following the death of Jean-Pierre Moueix in 2003, his son Jean-François Moueix, head of Groupe Duclot, is the owner of Pétrus and controls distribution within France, while the younger son Christian Moueix
, in charge of Pétrus since 1970, is overseeing the vineyard, vinification, marketing and export distribution along with his son Edouard Moueix. When Jean-Claude Berrouet retired as technical director after 44 vintages in 2007 he was replaced by Eric Murisasco. Berrouet's son Olivier Berrouet was appointed the new winemaker, and is in training to become technical director as Christian Moueix stated in 2008 his intention to distance himself from Pétrus, limiting his role to that of a consultant.
There is no château on the estate, but rather a modestly sized two-storey country house, with decorations of symbols and keys of St. Peter
. Christian Moueix has stated, "Pétrus doesn't deserve the name 'château'. It's just an old farmhouse, really".
of Pétrus extends 11.4 hectares (28.2 acre) and is located on a plateau in the eastern portion of Pomerol. The grape variety distribution is 95% Merlot
and 5% Cabernet Franc
.
Located on top of a 20 hectares (49.4 acre) island mound, the Petrus boutonnière or buttonhole, the topsoil and the subsoil beneath Pétrus' original vineyards consists of a high percentage of iron-rich clay
termed crasse de fer, that differs from neighbouring vineyards where the soil is a mixture of gravel-sand or clay-sand. The 1969 land acquisition from Château Gazin does not sit on top of the buttonhole.
The average age of the vines exceed 45 years. The estate was among the first in Bordeaux to implement green-harvesting or éclaircissage as a way to lower crop yields and raise the quality of the remaining grapes. Grapes are hand harvested over two to three days, although the vineyard's small size permits harvesting to be completed in one day if necessary.
A severe pre-assemblage vat selection is carried out and certain parcels are rejected from the Grand Vin. In modern times, Pétrus is almost exclusively a Merlot varietal
wine, with the available Cabernet Franc only applied in infrequent vintages. The young wine is aged in new French oak for ca. two years. An average year might yield at most 2500 winecase.
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
estate located in the Pomerol
Pomerol
Pomerol is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located near Bordeaux.-Population:-Wine:The mostly small-sized producers in this area of about produce red wines. As in the neighbouring appellation of Saint-Émilion, the predominant grape variety is Merlot,...
appellation
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
near its eastern border to Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion AOC
Saint-Émilion is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of France, where it is situated in the Libourne subregion on the right bank of the Dordogne...
. An estate of limited size, it produces a limited production red wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
almost entirely from Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s, on occasion with small amounts of Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
, and produces no second wine
Second wine
Second wine is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from cuvee not selected for use in the Grand vin or first label...
. The estate belongs to the family of the Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
wine merchant JP Moueix
Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix
Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, or JP Moueix, is a Bordeaux négociant house founded byJean-Pierre Moueix in 1937, situated on the Quai du Priourat in Libourne, in the Bordeaux wine region of France...
.
Although the wines of Pomerol have never been classified, Pétrus is widely regarded as the outstanding wine of the appellation by consensus, and leads a duo of Pomerol estates of extreme prices, along with Le Pin
Château Le Pin
Château Le Pin, or simply Le Pin, is an unclassed Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The unusually small estate is located on the Right Bank of France’s Gironde estuary in the commune of Pomerol near the hamlet of Catusseau, and its wine is periodically one of the world's most expensive...
, that in the modern era are consistently among the world's most expensive wines.
History
Originally a 7 hectares (17.3 acre) vineyard, the estate was owned by the Arnaud family since the middle of the 18th Century, and the name first appears in records from 1837. In the 1868 edition of Cocks & FéretCocks & Féret
Cocks & Féret or simply Féret, is the colloquial name of a Bordeaux wine directory originally created by Charles Cocks and Michel-Édouard Féret in 1846, which was published under the name Bordeaux, its Wines and the Claret Country and translated into French and published as the first edition of...
, under listing Crus bourgeois et 1ers artisans Château Pétrus was ranked behind Vieux Château Certan
Vieux Château Certan
Vieux Château Certan is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The winery is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde...
and alongside Château Trotanoy
Château Trotanoy
Château Trotanoy, archaically Trop Ennuie, is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The winery is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde...
. Some vintages of this period were labelled Pétrus-Arnaud. At the Paris Exhibition of 1878, Pétrus won a gold medal, at a time when such an event had great consequence, establishing a selling price at the level of a Médoc second growth, the first wine of Pomerol to do so.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Arnaud family founded La Société Civile du Château Pétrus, which offered shares in the company to the public. Around 1925, owner of the Hôtel Loubat in Libourne
Libourne
Libourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.-Geography:...
the widow Mme. Edmond Loubat began to buy shares in the estate and continued the acquisition progressively until 1949 when she was the sole owner of the domaine.
With the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the successful 1945 vintage began, according to David Peppercorn
David Peppercorn
David Peppercorn is a British Master of Wine, French wine importer and author, known for his books about the wines of Bordeaux and long experience in his field, having collected tasting notes since the late 1950s. He is married to fellow MW and wine writer Serena Sutcliffe. They were the first...
, "the great age of Pétrus". Jean-Pierre Moueix of the Libourne négociant
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
house Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix
Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix
Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, or JP Moueix, is a Bordeaux négociant house founded byJean-Pierre Moueix in 1937, situated on the Quai du Priourat in Libourne, in the Bordeaux wine region of France...
acquired exclusive selling rights of Pétrus in that year and international reputation began to grow. Mme. Loubat, who also owned Château Latour à Pomerol
Château Latour à Pomerol
Château Latour à Pomerol is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The winery is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde...
remained an active vigneronne throughout her life, known for meticulous dedication to detail and quality, and strong determination that her wine deserved to be priced equal to the great crus.
In the following years the partnership with Moueix efficiently became prosperous. Pétrus became introduced in the United States, and the wine was served at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
in 1947. Mme. Loubat later gifted a case of Pétrus to Buckingham Palace for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
After the 1956 winter frost
Frost
Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually...
that devastated the grape vines of Bordeaux region and killed ⅔ of the Pétrus vineyard, Mme. Loubat decided not to replant but regraft new vines on top of existing survivor rootstocks (the process recépage previously untried in the region), with success, ensuring that the vines' average age remain high and establishing a tradition that has since been followed. Until this year, Pétrus was sold off in cask
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
, as well as in bottle, which came to an end.
Pétrus' fame in the U.S. grew in the 1960s, with the promotion by Henri Soulé, owner of the Le Pavillon restaurant in New York. According to Alexis Lichine
Alexis Lichine
Alexis Lichine was a Russian wine writer and entrepreneur. He played a key role in promoting varietal labelling of wine, was a masterful salesman of wine, and owned Château Prieuré-Lichine and a share of Château Lascombes in the Médoc. He was married to actress Arlene Dahl from 1964 to...
, "[Pétrus] was served at Le Pavillon in the days when Onassis
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
sat at a corner table. After that, Château Petrus became a status symbol, the sort of name dropped by people who wish to imply not only that they know wine but that they are in wine".
On the death of Mme. Loubat in 1961, the estate inheritance was divided between a niece and nephew, Mme. Lily Lacoste-Loubat and M. Lignac, and a share was left JP Moueix to allow for equality between two heirs thought to be in conflict and ensure Moueix' continued influence. For a period the estate was represented by the niece, but in 1964 Ets. JP Moueix bought the Lignac shares, and at this time the oenologist Jean-Claude Berrouet became permanently attached to Pétrus. Prior to this, Émile Peynaud had been employed as a part-time consultant. In 1969, 5 hectares (12.4 acre) of vineyard were added to the estate, purchased from neighbouring Château Gazin
Château Gazin
Château Gazin is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The winery is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde...
.
Following the death of Jean-Pierre Moueix in 2003, his son Jean-François Moueix, head of Groupe Duclot, is the owner of Pétrus and controls distribution within France, while the younger son Christian Moueix
Christian Moueix
Christian Moueix is a French winemaker and the president of the négociant house Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix in Libourne, overseeing production in several estates in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol including Château Pétrus and Château Trotanoy...
, in charge of Pétrus since 1970, is overseeing the vineyard, vinification, marketing and export distribution along with his son Edouard Moueix. When Jean-Claude Berrouet retired as technical director after 44 vintages in 2007 he was replaced by Eric Murisasco. Berrouet's son Olivier Berrouet was appointed the new winemaker, and is in training to become technical director as Christian Moueix stated in 2008 his intention to distance himself from Pétrus, limiting his role to that of a consultant.
There is no château on the estate, but rather a modestly sized two-storey country house, with decorations of symbols and keys of St. Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
. Christian Moueix has stated, "Pétrus doesn't deserve the name 'château'. It's just an old farmhouse, really".
Production
The vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
of Pétrus extends 11.4 hectares (28.2 acre) and is located on a plateau in the eastern portion of Pomerol. The grape variety distribution is 95% Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
and 5% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
.
Located on top of a 20 hectares (49.4 acre) island mound, the Petrus boutonnière or buttonhole, the topsoil and the subsoil beneath Pétrus' original vineyards consists of a high percentage of iron-rich clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
termed crasse de fer, that differs from neighbouring vineyards where the soil is a mixture of gravel-sand or clay-sand. The 1969 land acquisition from Château Gazin does not sit on top of the buttonhole.
The average age of the vines exceed 45 years. The estate was among the first in Bordeaux to implement green-harvesting or éclaircissage as a way to lower crop yields and raise the quality of the remaining grapes. Grapes are hand harvested over two to three days, although the vineyard's small size permits harvesting to be completed in one day if necessary.
A severe pre-assemblage vat selection is carried out and certain parcels are rejected from the Grand Vin. In modern times, Pétrus is almost exclusively a Merlot varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
wine, with the available Cabernet Franc only applied in infrequent vintages. The young wine is aged in new French oak for ca. two years. An average year might yield at most 2500 winecase.
In popular culture
- The producers of the 2004 film Sideways had originally wanted the character Miles Raymond's treasure bottle to be a Pétrus, which ultimately became a 1961 Château Cheval BlancChâteau Cheval BlancChâteau Cheval Blanc , is a wine producer in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux wine region of France. Its wine is one of only two to receive the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine of 1955, along with Château Ausone.The estate's second wine is...
. Moueix stated, "Quite a few film scripts cross my desk and I vaguely recall Sideways asking for permission to use Pétrus. I am afraid that at that time, I found the script unexciting and declined".
- The seventh season finale of FrasierFrasierFrasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
, "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue", featured the main characters receiving a 1945 Château Pétrus, appraised on-sight by Frasier Crane as "one of the rarest bottles in the world", as a gift from the widow of their recently deceased doorman Morrie. The characters deduce that he must've saved it for years waiting for an occasion he deemed special or appropriate enough, eventually dying without having opened it, and themselves vow not to make the same mistake. The bottle is gifted between them several times over the course of the episode.
- A bottle of Chateau Petrus, 1946, is referenced in the Law & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
episode "Tuxedo Hill" (May, 2002) as being worth $11,000.00
- It is sold at the Mandalay Bay Resort and CasinoMandalay Bay Resort and CasinoMandalay Bay Resort and Casino is a 44-story luxury hotel casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by MGM Resorts International. Five floors of the main hotel building are occupied by the five-star and AAA Five-Diamond Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas...
alongside the $5,000 burger, the "FleurBuerger 5000".
- Château Petrus was consumed by Hercule Poirot in "Death on the Nile."
- Councilman Richmond offers a glass of Pétrus Pomerol '77 to Detective Linden in Ep. 12 of the US TV series The Killing
- In "Rendezvous", an episode of TV series AliasAlias (TV series)Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
, a cultured captive requests a glass of 1982 Chateau Pétrus.
- A guest at a stately B&B is offered drinks on house by a woman looking after the house. He asks for a red wine and the waiter is told to grab "the shortest name in the cellar as they are usually cheaper". The guest is presented with a bottle of Petrus which is claimed as "good enough, bring another up for later." Heartbeat (U.K. TV series) | Episode: The Open Door