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Château Pétrus
The relationship between Corney & Barrow and Pétrus goes back to 1976 when we gained the UK agency for this great wine. As agents we are frequently asked what exactly makes Pétrus so special and of course expensive. Put simply it is supply and demand rooted in a philosophy of absolute quality and a number of unique features which make it stand out from its neighbours.
The History
Owned by the Arnaud family for the better part of 200 years until the end of the Second World War, Pétrus was then sold to Mme Loubat, who had progressively acquired the property since 1925. It was her belief in the absolute quality of the wine that set a precedent that is still alive today. On her death in 1961, the estate was passed to her family, who eventually sold a half share in 1964 to Jean-Pierre Moueix. Moueix himself had set up a negociant business in the pre-war years in Bordeaux and gradually began acquiring Right Bank châteaux. He built a reputation from almost nothing. Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix, based in Libourne, now owns, part-owns or manages 12 estates in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Following the death of Jean-Pierre Moueix in 2003, his elder son Jean-François is the gérant of Château Pétrus, while, Christian, his second son, manages the production aided by a loyal, dedicated team.
The Vineyard
The jewel of Pomerol is undoubtedly the hallowed ground of Pétrus, a tiny 28 acre site. The unique nature of Pétrus owes everything to a freak geological accident when dense clay blistered its way through the gravel surface during the ice age. The clay sits on a subsoil of gravel, underneath which is an extraordinarily hard iron soil, known as crasse de fer. This is what sets Pétrus apart from all of its neighbours - that, and the stewardship of the extraordinary Moueix team. The vines average over 40 years old and there is an almost total reliance on Pomerol's noble variety, Merlot. The yield is among the lowest in Bordeaux partly through 'éclaircissage' or green harvest to concentrate the power and quality of the remaining crop (eliminating up to 50% of the crop in certain years). Indeed Christian Moueix was one of the first to practise this in the Gironde.
The Winemaking
The grapes are brought in entirely by hand over a period of two to three days and fermented in temperature controlled concrete tanks. The young wine is aged in new French oak for 20 months. A severe pre-assemblage vat selection is carried out and certain parcels are rejected from the Grand Vin. Production, in comparison to other Bordeaux, is minute and an average year might yield at most 2,500 cases. In recent vintages such as 2003 this average has been sharply reduced.
The Wines
Although Merlot is widely planted throughout the world, it attains a richness and depth in Pomerol rarely seen elsewhere. With Pétrus this quality enters a different level, exhibiting in youth an intensity, solidity of structure and opaqueness of colour that defies description. The stewardship of the Moueix team sees the wine moving beyond the qualities for which Pomerol is famous - sweet, rich, ripe black fruit - into the category of an immensely powerful structure yet ultimately perfect balance which will repay long cellaring.
The Holdings
