| Region of Production: | Pomerol AOP |
| Winery Location: | Pomerol |
| Year Established: | 18th century |
| Classification: | None |
Vineyard Holdings
11.5 ha
- 97% Merlot
- 3% Cabernet Franc
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Pétrus, Pomerol: Grand vin. 100% Merlot (2015 vintage). Fermented in concrete vats. Aged for 18 to 20 months in 50% new French oak barrels.
Average Total Production
- 36,000 bottles
Summary
The earliest records of Pétrus date to the mid-1700s, and by the end of that century, it was under the stewardship of the Arnaud family, which is also at the origins of Château Clinet. While Pomerol was less fashionable than the Left Bank throughout the 19th century, over the course of those years, Pétrus began to transcend its category, both in reputation and price. Around World War I, the Arnaud family began to sell off Pétrus, and Madame Loubat, a widowed hotelier from Libourne, slowly acquired parcels beginning in the 1923 until eventually reaching full ownership. In the 1940s, Loubat hired Jean-Pierre Moueix to oversee production, and together they decided to price Pétrus equivalent to the 1855 first growths. Loubat passed away in 1961, bequeathing the estate to her niece and nephew, and a portion to Moueix. By the end of that decade, Moueix and his son Jean-François had bought out the family, hired Jean Claude Berrouet to lead the winemaking team, and expanded the vineyard by five hectares. Jean-François Moueix and his family still own a majority stake in Pétrus today, and billionaire Alejandro Santo Domingo purchased a 20% share in 2018. Jean Claude Berrouet’s son Olivier serves as winemaker.
Pétrus shares its name with the hill upon which it is located, named for a Roman who owned the property in ancient times. While much of Pomerol is blanketed in gravelly-clay, Pétrus is almost uniformly rooted in deep, dense blue clay soils. The wine’s power is often traced to this attribute, as is the decision to maintain such a high percentage of Merlot, with Cabernet Franc only contributing a small fraction to the blend.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Renowned for its ageability and power, Pétrus is often described as rich and velvety in texture. Grapes are always destemmed and are sorted optically. Vinification proceeds in a dozen temperature-controlled concrete vats that range from 50 to 130 hectoliters in size. A short pre-fermentation maceration is followed with up to three weeks of post-fermentation maceration. Malolactic fermentation is performed in a different vat, and the lots destined for Pétrus are blended and aged in barrel, half of which are new. The exact length of élevage varies by vintage, and the wines are fined and filtered before bottling.
Producer Website: Château Pétrus