The short answer
As of September 2026, merchants ask a median of £4,835 a bottle for Petrus 1989 in 750ml bottles, from 3 merchant asks.
Petrus 1989 is one of the benchmark Pomerol releases of the twentieth century, holding a critic average of 100.0 across 4 published reviews in this site's dataset. Produced from the estate's eleven-hectare vineyard situated on the famous buttonhole of blue clay, the 1989 vintage came from what Decanter calls the earliest harvest for nearly a century, and was made by Christian Moueix with Jean-Claude Berrouet as oenologist. Community tasting notes describe an exceptional balance between concentrated Merlot fruit and resolved structural tannins. The drinking window recorded for the vintage spans 2005 to 2045. Because annual production averages only thirty thousand bottles, surviving cases of the 1989 vintage command intense scrutiny from fine wine collectors tracking verified cellar provenance worldwide. Merchant asks and completed trades for the 1989 sit on this site's vintage chart, shown separately and dated to the same extract as every other figure here, so buyers can see what merchants publish and what bottles actually sold for.
Growing season and harvest conditions in Pomerol
Petrus 1989 was shaped by a summer in which, according to Decanter's Pomerol vintage guide, June, July and August saw temperatures higher than any since the 1940s, while occasional rainfall helped to swell the crop. According to Decanter, what the 1989 growing season bestowed was uniformity across both banks, producing exceptional and long-lived wines. Nearly 11 hectares of the estate lie on a 20-hectare buttonhole of clay on Pomerol's high terrace, and Decanter notes that this mostly clay soil retains moisture, which helps to minimise stress in hot, dry years.
Christian Moueix made the wine, with Jean-Claude Berrouet as oenologist. The guide describes the Pomerols of 1989 as rich, fruity and full-bodied, with alcohol levels on the high side, and names Petrus among the best producers. Normal estate output is roughly 30,000 bottles.
Critical reception of Petrus 1989
Critical consensus regarding this release is unanimous. Petrus 1989 holds a critic average of 100.0 across 4 published reviews in our dataset. Decanter's guide to the 1980s names Petrus among the legends of the vintage.
Independent drinker ratings add a second view. Community tasting notes track an average drinker score of 96.5 across 31 drinker ratings. Tasters frequently remark on the wine's rich fruit persistence and velvety mid-palate, which avoid the roasted notes seen in less balanced 1989 Right Bank wines. Pomerol has no official classification, so Petrus holds its position on price and reputation rather than on a formal rank. The 1989 release remains one of the primary reasons for that global reputation.
Comparing scores and trade values across benchmark years
The 1989 has traded in 6 months of our recorded history, and last traded at £2,833 a bottle in June 2026. Merchants in our dataset ask a median of £4,835 a bottle. An asking price is what a merchant publishes and a trade is what a bottle actually sold for, so the two are shown separately rather than blended.
Other benchmark vintages give context. The 1990 holds a critic average of 98.4, with merchants asking £4,098 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated). The 1988 holds 93.7 and a drinking window of 2005 to 2020. The 1985 holds a critic average of 91.3. The 2009 averages 99.2 and the 2005 averages 98.6. Each figure comes from the same dated extract as the 1989's, so the years can be compared directly.
Drinking window and tertiary development
The drinking window recorded for Petrus 1989 spans 2005 to 2045. The wine entered its mature expression two decades after harvest. Bottles opened today display complex tertiary characteristics: forest floor, leather, dried cherries, and black truffle, framed by soft tannins and balanced alcohol.
Storage provenance remains the critical factor for longevity. Cellar conditions between ten and thirteen degrees Celsius with steady humidity will allow well-stored standard bottles to hold their plateau across the full window. Large formats such as magnums will evolve more slowly still.
Secondary market trade and authentication notes
Market liquidity for physical bottles of the 1989 vintage is constrained by the estate's small annual output of roughly 30,000 bottles.
Petrus is one of the most counterfeited wines in the world, which is why provenance matters more here than at almost any other estate. Buyers assessing the 1989 vintage must inspect capsule embossing, label paper composition, font clarity, and ullage levels. A bottle with fill into the neck or high shoulder offers the highest assurance of structural integrity and pristine secondary trade value.
Common questions
What is the critic score for Petrus 1989?
Petrus 1989 holds a critic average of 100.0 across 4 published reviews in our dataset.
What is the current retail price of Petrus 1989?
Current asks and trades for the 1989 are on its vintage page, dated to our latest extract. Merchants in our dataset ask a median of £4,835 a bottle. It last traded at £2,833 a bottle in June 2026.
What is the drinking window for Petrus 1989?
The recorded drinking window spans 2005 to 2045.
How much wine did Petrus produce in 1989?
Petrus produces roughly 30,000 bottles in a normal year from its 11-hectare vineyard, and Decanter's Pomerol guide notes that the early 1989 flowering produced a larger than average crop.
Who made the 1989 vintage at Petrus?
Christian Moueix made the 1989, with Jean-Claude Berrouet, attached to Petrus from 1964 for more than four decades, as oenologist.
Sources
- Decanter Bordeaux 1980s vintage guide, checked 2026-09-29
- Decanter Saint-Emilion and Pomerol vintage guide, checked 2026-09-29
- Decanter: Petrus wine, behind the legend, checked 2026-09-29
- Decanter Wine Legend: Château Petrus 1945, checked 2026-09-29
By WineExperts. First published , last updated . Figures from our tracked merchant prices and recorded sales; text prepared with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed above.