Wines by Pétrus

Pétrus

Wine as a status symbol and investment: Soon the name Pétrus comes up. “Incomparable – but sadly only for millionaires,” summed up British wine journalist Hugh Johnson aptly. The top wine of the otherwise modest building with light blue shutters, which is uncommon in Pomerol, is among the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world. There is no château in the traditional sense, and on old labels, you can still find “Château Pétrus,” but today it only says Pétrus. The name comes from a stone statue of the Apostle Peter, which stands on the estate.
Pétrus was truly elevated by the Moueix family. They founded a wine trading house in Bordeaux in 1937 and gradually took over numerous estates in Pomerol, St. Émilion, and Napa Valley. Until the 1950s, 70% of Merlot was planted—today, 95% of the 11.5 hectares are Merlot, with Cabernet Franc making up the remaining 5%. Jean-Pierre Moueix gradually took stakes in Pétrus and led the estate to what it is today through a relentless focus on quality: A top estate like no other.
And by the way: It was the Belgians. They were among the first outside Bordeaux to discover the quality of Pétrus wines during large-scale wine imports from Pomerol and bottlings in their own country. This happened in the early 19th century.