France · Pomerol

Château Pétrus

Château Pétrus is Bordeaux's most financially significant wine, a small 11.4-hectare estate in the heart of Pomerol that has commanded prices exceeding every classified Médoc estate despite holding no official classification. The estate sits on the plateau de Pomerol, the highest point of the appellation, on a bed of blue crasse de fer clay that gives Pétrus its extraordinary concentration and mineral complexity. Merlot dominates completely — the estate farms 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc on bush vines averaging 40–50 years old. Production is roughly 30,000 bottles per year, a fraction of the output of the Médoc First Growths. The Moueix family, through négociant house J.-P. Moueix, has managed and largely controlled Pétrus since 1945 when Christian Moueix's father Jean-Pierre purchased a significant share. Christian Moueix, who took over operations in 1970, is responsible for much of the modern estate's reputation. The harvest team, often numbering 50 or more pickers, is deployed in a single afternoon to pick each parcel at optimal ripeness — avoiding the humidity that can affect afternoon-harvested Merlot. Vintage variation is significant: the 1961, 1964, 1971, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2015 are considered the landmark years. The 1982 Pétrus — Parker's first 100-point score for a Bordeaux — established the modern market for Right Bank collectibles. Mature vintages from the 1960s and 1970s remain among the most actively contested lots at specialist Bordeaux sales.