The short answer
The most recent recorded sale of Petrus 1998 in our data was £3,543 a bottle in June 2025.
Petrus 1998 is one of the most acclaimed modern releases from the Pomerol estate, holding a critic average of 99.5 across 6 published reviews in this site's dataset. Produced from the historic eleven-hectare vineyard situated on the famous buttonhole of blue clay, the 1998 harvest followed a cool start to the summer, a hot, dry August and a wet early September that brought no rot. Tasters praise the integration of firm tannins and silky texture that distinguishes the estate Merlot from Cabernet-dominant Left Bank peers. The drinking window recorded for the vintage spans 2020 to 2060, and the wine retains decades of structural longevity. The release remains a definitive Right Bank benchmark from the year Merlot excelled across Pomerol and St-Emilion. Merchant asks and completed trades for the 1998 sit on this site's vintage chart, shown separately and dated to the same extract as every other figure, so buyers can compare it directly with the 1995, 1999 and 2000.
Growing season and harvest conditions in Pomerol
Petrus 1998 was forged during a growing season that favoured the Right Bank over the rest of Bordeaux. According to Decanter, 1998 is the Right Bank year of the decade, the year Merlot turned to gold, with Petrus among the wines that could last a century. Its Pomerol vintage guide records that after a cool start to the summer August was hot and dry, and that early September was wet, but the grape skins were thick and there was no rot; most Pomerol Merlot was then harvested in ideal conditions in the week of 21 to 25 September. Christian Moueix made the wine, with Jean-Claude Berrouet as oenologist, and Decanter records that in 1998 there was no sorting at all.
The estate manages roughly 11 hectares without an official classification rank, relying entirely on terroir precision and strict parcel selection. The guide ranks the best 1998 Pomerols with the 1990s and 1982s.
Critical consensus and the Petrus 1998 benchmark
Critical reception places the vintage near total perfection. The release holds a critic average of 99.5 across 6 published reviews in our dataset. Wine Spectator's report on a Petrus vertical scored the 1998 at 98 points on the night, describing chocolate, spice, tobacco, brown sugar and fruit with velvety tannins, and noted that the taster had given it 100 points in other tastings.
Drinkers add their own view across private cellar records. Consumer platforms record 38 drinker ratings with an average drinker score of 96.4. Tasters consistently highlight the integration of firm tannins and silky texture, which distinguish the estate Merlot from Cabernet-dominant Left Bank peers.
Comparative pricing against adjacent vintages
The 1998 has traded in 4 months of our recorded history, and last traded at £3,543 a bottle in June 2025. 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.
Milestone and adjacent vintages give context. The 1989 holds 100.0 and last traded at £2,833 a bottle in June 2026. The 1996 averages 93.1, with asks of £2,817 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated). Each figure comes from the same dated extract as the 1998's, so the years can be compared directly.
Drinking window and cellar development
The drinking window recorded for the vintage spans 2020 to 2060. Bottles opened today have transitioned past primary fruit into complex secondary development, revealing notes of leather, damp earth, and dried violets. The dense tannic spine extracted during the 1998 harvest has softened into a velvety texture, providing seamless mid-palate weight.
Longevity remains assured across the full window. Bottles kept at a steady 12 degrees Celsius with 70 percent humidity will maintain freshness toward the close of the window. Magnums and larger formats will evolve even more gradually.
Market authenticity and provenance considerations
Small production limits supply across the secondary market, with normal annual output hovering around 30,000 bottles. Because Petrus is one of the most counterfeited wines in the global trade, verifying chain of custody is paramount when reviewing listings at this level. Buyers should demand unbroken merchant provenance or original wooden casing documentation prior to settlement.
Physical inspection of the capsule, cork printing, and label paper provides critical reassurance. The label omit the word chateau, displaying simply the estate name and vintage. As supply from the late 1990s contracts in commercial channels, impeccably stored bottles with documented cellar history will continue to command premium execution prices.
Common questions
What is the critic score for Petrus 1998?
Petrus 1998 holds a critic average of 99.5 across 6 published reviews in our dataset.
What is the current market price of Petrus 1998?
Current asks and trades for the 1998 are on its vintage page, dated to our latest extract. It last traded at £3,543 a bottle in June 2025.
What is the recommended drinking window for Petrus 1998?
The drinking window spans 2020 to 2060, and the wine has moved past primary fruit into complex secondary development.
How many bottles of Petrus are produced each year?
Petrus produces approximately 30,000 bottles in a normal vintage across its 11-hectare Pomerol vineyard.
Sources
- Decanter Bordeaux vintages of the 1990s, 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
- Wine Spectator: Drinking the legend, a Petrus vertical, 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.