Petrus

Dating back to the mid-1750s, Petrus is one of the oldest wineries in Pomerol. This well-known winery gets its name from the hill known as Petrus and from Petrus, who owned the grounds during the Roman Empire. After the phylloxera ravages in Bordeaux, Petrus' vineyards were also replanted, and Merlot was mainly selected as the grape.

Like many other farms in the area, Petrus has also changed ownership several times. Madame Loubat, who owned the farm in the 1940s and left a significant mark on its history, teamed up with Jean Pierre Mouiex, raising the reputation of the farm to today's level. Madame Loubat and Jean Pierre Moueix were convinced that their estate produced the best wine in the region. Thus, they decided that Petrus would never come at a lower price than its competitor Cheval Blanc.

After Madame passed away, Moueix inherited Madame's share of the estate alongside her blood heirs, continuing to develop its wine production and increase its reputation. Jean Pierre Moueix was talked into helping Emile Peynaud with the estate's winemaking, but the collaboration only lasted for a few years due to Peynaud's other commitments. After this, Jean Claude Berrouet joined the farm's winemaking team, working at the farm until 2008. Nowadays, his son Olivier Berrouet is responsible for the winemaking of the estate.

By the end of the 1960s, the Moueix family bought the remaining shares of the farm from Madame Loubat's descendants, and acquired an additional 5 hectares of the best paddocks in the area from the Gazini family. Consequently, Petrus' garden areas grew considerably. Later, Moueix's ownership was joined by several other wineries that are among the best producers in the region, as well as a négociant business. At the same time, Jean-François and Christian Mouiex took increasing responsibility for Petrus' operations.

At first, Petrus' reputation was known mainly in London, Belgium and France, but after President John F. Kennedy expressed his preference for wine, its reputation began to spread on the American continent as well. After Robert Parker and the 1982 vintage, the farm's name was on everyone's lips. Both Parker and Petrus are to be thanked for each other's reputation.

Today's 11.5 hectares of vineyards are cultivated only with Merlot. From 1982 Cabernet Franc was used in the blend only every 3-4 years and eventually all Cabernet Franc vines were replaced with Merlot. The vineyards are divided into 12 different plots and are located on the highest point of the Pomerol plateau. The soil in the nurseries dries naturally and its clay type is unique in the world. The clay is not only 40 million years old, it also forms two different layers on the plain. The upper clay is 60-80 cm thick. Underneath it is very thick, hard and dark clay, through which the roots of the vines cannot pass, having to grow horizontally. Thanks to its exceptional soil, the orchards growing on the plains produce grapes with high tannins, yet with a soft texture.

The vines in the shelters are on average 40 years old, with the oldest vines planted in 1952. The planting density is 6600-7000 vines per hectare and the shelters are renewed one hectare at a time every 7-9 years. Petrus protects the unique heritage of his nurseries by using clones from his own vines. Chemical fertilizers are also not used in the nurseries, but the richness of the nurseries is nurtured with the help of other vegetation.

During the harvest, each grape is picked by hand and the stems are removed from the bunches. After the grapes are gently crushed, the wine ages in 12 traditional temperature-controlled cement tanks, which are 50-130 hectoliters in size. After blending, the wine matures in French oak barrels for 18-20 months. About half of the barrels are new. The farm does not produce second wine, but sells the rejected wine batches on.

The farm's annual production is around 30,000 bottles.