Legendary Wines in France--Petrus

Nowadays Pétrus is considered to be the most interesting of the Pomerols.

Yet before 1945 it stayed confidential. In 1920 Mrs Loubat inherited that vineyard situated on the highest part of the appellation Pomerol, in the Bordeaux region. Twenty years later she was joined by Jean-Pierre Mouex, wine-merchant established on the quay of the River Dordogne. Château-Pétrus began to come out of its anonymity.

Madame Loubat presented her bottles in England for HRH Princess Elizabeth and Philip, duke of Edinborough's wedding. Across the Atlantic, Pétrus became the special wine of the Kennedy's.

In Pomerol there is no classification as in Médoc or Saint-Emilion. But the small surface, 11,50 hectares (9 time smaller than Lafite) of Pétrus makes it rare.

Situated on the higher point of Pomerol. The new barrels are washed in order not to mark the wine to much. The grapes are harvested when fully matured for the purity of taste to the detriment of productivity.

Pétrus, tremendous soil, is first of all the rendez-vous of men in love with wine; Michel Gilet, master of the vines, dreams of nature without chemistry; Francois Veyssiere, cellar-master is also collector of fruit-trees in danger of extinction; the winemaker, Jean-Claude Berrouet brings his enthusiasm of Basque to Pétrus as well as to Lafleur-Pétrus, La Magdeleine and Trotanoy.

Today Pétrus is owned by the eternal Jean-Pierre Mouex and by Lily-Paul Lacoste Loubat, heiress and niece of Madame Loubat. At present a bottle of Pétrus sells at around 600 Euros.