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Château Pétrus is the flagship wine of the Pomerol wine region in Bordeaux. The wine is made almost entirely from the Merlot grape. The château belongs to the family of the Libourne wine merchant Moueix. Although the wines of Pomerol have never been classified, Pétrus is considered among the elite of Bordeaux along with the First Growths of the Médoc and Saint-Émilion.
Vineyard
The 28 Acre (11.4 Hectare) vineyard of Château Pétrus is located on a plateau in the eastern portion of the appellation. The soil consists of a high percentage of iron-rich clay, much more than is contained in surrounding properties. The vines, 95% of which are planted with Merlot and the remainder with Cabernet Franc, have an impressive average age of more than 40 years. Great care is taken by the estate's administration to maximize the quality of the crop. The estate was among the first in Bordeaux to implement green-harvesting as a way to lower crop yields and raise the quality of the remaining grapes.
The Wines
Château Pétrus produces approximately 3,000 cases of wine in an average year. Grapes are hand harvested and fermented in cement tanks, then aged for two years in 100% new oak before bottling. Newly released bottles are typically offered for more than $500US as futures, with mature examples often fetching more than $1,000US. The finest recent vintages have been 1982, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998 and 2000. Older, legendary, vintages include 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1955, 1959, and 1961.