Pétrus is a Bordeaux, France, wine estate located in the Pomerol appellation near its eastern border to Saint-Émilion.
[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Pétrus leads a duo of Pomerol estates in extreme prices, along with Le Pin, that rank consistently among the world's most expensive wines.
[9] At the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1878, Pétrus won a gold medal,[3] at a time when such an event had very significant results, establishing a selling price at the level of a Médoc second growth,[4] the first wine of Pomerol to do so.
[1] In 1917, the Arnaud family had to sell and La Société Civile du Château Pétrus, a share-holding company, was set up.
Edmond Loubat, began to buy shares in the estate and continued the acquisition progressively until 1945, when she became the sole owner of the domaine.
[7][12] According to David Peppercorn, "the great age of Pétrus" began with the end of World War II and the successful 1945 vintage.
Loubat, who also owned Château Latour à Pomerol, remained an active vigneronne throughout her life, known for her meticulous dedication to detail and quality, and strong determination that her wine deserved to be priced equal to the great crus.
Loubat presented two magnums of 1938 Pétrus to the Lord Mayor of London, who had come to Pomerol for a visit, for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth.
[6] For a period, the estate was represented by the niece,[1][5] but in 1964, Jean-Pierre Moueix bought the Lignac shares,[12] and the oenologist Jean-Claude Berrouet became permanently attached to Pétrus.
In September 2018, Jean-François Moueix's entourage confirmed that 20 percent of the capital had been sold to Colombian-American billionaire Alejandro Santo Domingo.
The estate was among the first in Bordeaux to implement green-harvesting or éclaircissage as a way to lower crop yields and raise the quality of the remaining grapes.