For many luxury aficionados Petrus represents the world's very best wine. In 1925, Madame Loubat began to acquire shares in the "Societe Civile du Chateau Petrus" and by the end of World War II was the sole proprietor of Chateau Petrus. In 1961, the brand was inherited by Madame Lacoste and Monsieur Lignac, niece and nephew of Madame Loubat. Later Monsieur Lignac sold his shares to Jean-Pierre Moueix. There is no Chateau at Petrus and the cellars are modest, located on a plateau in the East of Pomerol, the name taken from St Peter who is seen on the label with keys to the property in his hands. There is nothing modest however in Petrus, a luxury celebrated wine in not only Pomerol, but also one of the finest in the world. Petrus owes a lot to Jean-Pierre Moueix who made sure that distribution was controlled in a way that would ensure it would acquire a luxury reputation internationally. Jean-Pierre is not only a superb negotiator; he is a connoisseur of luxury, all things that make life noble.

Petrus receives all the loving care and attention of a pampered child under ownership of Jean-Francois, the son of Jean-Pierre. The vines flourish in superb clay soil, unlike the soil of part gravel sand or clay sand that is found in adjacent properties and some are unusually old, only replanted after the age of 70. Grapes are handpicked only in the mornings so that the berries do not suffer from the afternoon heat. They are then fermented in concrete tanks, temperature controlled, before being aged in 50% new French oak for 16 - 20 months. This exceptional luxury wine is very lightly filtered, when necessary, for fear of destroying any of the richness. Following this, a pre-assemblage is carried out severely, with certain parcels being rejected from the Grand Vin. On average a year may yield at the very most 30 000 bottles of luxury wine and more recently this has been reduced even more. The luxury wine from Petrus is very distinctive, differing from the wines of surrounding properties with its exceptional richness, power and depth of colour that is unique. This is a red wine ofluxury, remarkably balanced with aromas of mulberry, blackcurrant, spices and truffles, setting it apart from other wines of Bordeaux. The standing ofPetrus was highlighted when the wine won a gold medal in 1878 at the Paris Exhibition; this was the first wine from Pomerol to gain this distinction, and of course at this time the award carried a great deal of weight, establishing Petrus as one of the very best wines.

The commitment to producing one of the finest wines remains the same to this day. Petrus keeps on top of the latest innovations to ensure exceptional quality, whilst at the same time maintaining respect for the traditional values. They head into the future looking forward to producing many more luxury vintages of exceptional quality. Earlier this year 12 bottles of Petrus, 1982, (Sotheby’s lot147) fetched £34'500 ($53'000/€40'000), illustrating the remarkable enthusiasm for this exceptional luxury wine amidst the global economic slowdown.

Editorial | Image Courtesy Of Petrus