Petrus proves that great wine is produced in the vineyard, not the cellar.
Wine Region
Pomerol, Bordeaux
Vineyard
Petrus
The name Petrus derives from Petros, or St Peter, who is pictured on the wine’s label (iconic and, if you look closely, endearingly quirky), holding a key. The key to the cellar, or to the kingdom of heaven? Perhaps it works for both. The land which became Petrus is mentioned in the Pomerol archives of 1746, although the name itself dates from the end of the 18th century. In 1837, the wine first appears in the list of a Bordeaux broker. In the 1898 edition of the reference tome Féret*, Petrus was ranked as the top wine in Pomerol, a status it holds to this day. Olivier Berrouet now wields the key to Petrus. Olivier has already proven himself a worthy successor to his father, from whom he took over in the 2008 vintage.
2005
The Petrus Cellars are totally renovated and are a monument to tranquillity. In these airy surroundings, wines are given the breathing space they need to equip themselves for the long journey ahead.
2008
Olivier Berrouet is in charge of Petrus, having taken over from his father Jean-Claude.
11.5
Petrus’s famous ‘buttonhole of clay’ is a quirk of the Pomerol landscape which lies beneath 90% of the 11.5 hectares of the estate’s vines.
The Vineyard
It is thought to date back to the Oligocene era, nearly 40 million years ago. The buttonhole is aptly named, being an aperture in the surrounding gravel plateau, exposing the vine roots directly to the fertile and moisture-retentive clay below.There is nonetheless also gravel at Petrus, starting some 60cm beneath the surface, which moderates this ready access to highly concentrated nutrients. Drainage is further aided by the gentle slopes.The vineyard itself has twelve sub-plots. As Neal Martin says in his book Pomerol, it is so unusual to see it broken down into these individual parcels that several of the commune’s winemakers failed to recognise it as Petrus in this ‘insider’ format.The two largest plots, Mario and Guy, are named after former vineyard workers, with neighbouring châteaux acknowledged in the names Certan and L’Évangile.
The Cellar
The Cellar
The Cellar
In these tranquil surroundings, wines have the breathing space they need for unhurried élevage. After being destemmed, grapes are sorted twice. A short pre-fermentation maceration of one or two days is followed by fermentation in concrete vats, with each vat handled according to its own development. Tannins are extracted as gently as possible, with pumping-over at the start of vinification.
Malolactic fermentation also takes place in vat, to prioritise fruit purity over oak character. The wine is typically transferred to barrel at the end of November. As usual, Petrus 2021 is maturing in 50% new oak, 50% one year old.
History
It is thought to date back to the Oligocene era, nearly 40 million years ago. The buttonhole is aptly named, being an aperture in the surrounding gravel plateau, exposing the vine roots directly to the fertile and moisture-retentive clay below.There is nonetheless also gravel at Petrus, starting some 60cm beneath the surface, which moderates this ready access to highly concentrated nutrients. Drainage is further aided by the gentle slopes.The vineyard itself has twelve sub-plots. As Neal Martin says in his book Pomerol, it is so unusual to see it broken down into these individual parcels that several of the commune’s winemakers failed to recognise it as Petrus in this ‘insider’ format.The two largest plots, Mario and Guy, are named after former vineyard workers, with neighbouring châteaux acknowledged in the names Certan and L’Évangile.
Vineyard
The 7.4 hectare vineyard comprises two main plots. The larger of these, covering around three quarters of the total area, is home to the younger Merlot vines, which are planted on hard limestone soils. The other, a plot called La Boutisse, is on more fractured limestone and is planted with 80+ year old Cabernet Franc and Merlot, bringing up the average vine age to over 45 years.
Three passes through the vineyard are made to harvest young Merlot, old Merlot and finally Cabernet Franc, which are all then vinified separately. Yields tend to be around 25-35hl/ha.
Organic certification was obtained in 2020 and the estate has been a member of Biodyvin since 2014 and currently in biodynamic conversion . Peter is not an advocate of green harvesting, saying he would rather encourage a natural balance in his vines (which was found in 2023 ‘thanks’ to the mildew).
He has encouraged biodiversity, planting bushes and shrubs at the borders of the vineyards. In his words, “I think there is a lot that can be done in Bordeaux to improve the environment.”
Cellars
Peter’s aim is to produce a classic, terroir-focused style of Saint-Émilion.
The manageable size of the estate, with its modern, functional cellar, allows for vinification by parcel and vine age.
Fermentation takes place at a moderate 22°C, so as not to extract too much from Rocheyron’s very concentrated grapes. As Peter diplomatically puts it, “excess concentration is not really the way forward.”
His comments on alcohol are also interesting – the higher the alcohol, the greater the extraction, which needs to be borne in mind, especially with Bordeaux’s increasingly warm summers. Also of interest is that Peter says the effect of climate change on his corner of Bordeaux has so far been beneficial.
If 2023 were an actor, it would be Kenneth Branagh – a modern interpretation of a classic.”
Peter Sisseck
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