Ask any wine-lover to name the world's greatest fine wines and the answer will invariably include Petrus. It is one of the most iconic wines of the world and represents the pinnacle of what can be achieved with Merlot, or any varietal for that matter. The Pétrus estate was established in the 19th century but remained relatively obscure until the mid-20th century. Originally owned by the Arnaud family, it started gaining recognition in the 1920s. Pétrus truly rose to prominence under the influence of the Moueix family. Jean-Pierre Moueix, a renowned Bordeaux wine merchant, began distributing Pétrus in 1945 and later became a part-owner. Pétrus is located on the highest point of the Pomerol plateau, a unique terroir on Bordeaux’s Right Bank. Though Pomerol does not have a classification system like the Left Bank, Pétrus is unofficially regarded as the crown jewel of the appellation. The Pétrus vineyard which is exclusively planted to Merlot, spans approximately 11.5 hectares and is notable for its high concentration of blue clay. This rare soil, rich in iron and water-retentive properties, contributes to the wine’s distinctively concentrated, velvety, and powerful character. The production at Petrus is tiny in comparison to the superstars from the Left Bank and for this reason they are very hard to secure and sought after by most Oenophiles. It's a bucket list wine and the World of Wine can help as we have access to some of the best private collections of Petrus in Australia.