The most expensive bottle of Petrus is the Chateau Petrus 2000, also known as the ‘cuvee de la space'. This extraordinary bottle of wine was sold in a private sale by Christie's in May 2021 with an estimated price tag of US$1 million. It is truly an exceptional and unique wine that has garnered immense attention and admiration from wine enthusiasts and collectors around the world.
The Chateau Petrus 2000 is already highly sought after due to its impeccable quality and reputation as one of the finest wines in the world. However, what sets this particular bottle apart is its remarkable journey and aging process. This bottle of Petrus 2000 has spent time in space, making it a true collector's item and a symbol of innovation and exploration.
The idea to send a bottle of Petrus 2000 into space came from a collaboration between Space Cargo Unlimited, a French startup, and the Institute for Wine and Vine Research in Bordeaux. The objective was to study the effects of microgravity and space radiation on the aging process of wine. In November 2019, twelve bottles of wine, including the Chateau Petrus 2000, were sent to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX cargo spacecraft.
During their stay on the ISS, the bottles orbited the Earth for nearly 440 days, exposed to the unique environment of space. This included experiencing microgravity, constant motion, and exposure to cosmic radiation. These conditions were expected to have an impact on the wine's molecular structure, potentially altering its taste and aroma profiles.
After their return to Earth in January 2021, the bottles were carefully analyzed and compared to control samples that had remained on Earth. The preliminary results indicated that the space-aged wine displayed some intriguing differences in comparison to its Earth-aged counterpart. The unique conditions of space seemed to have accelerated the aging process, resulting in a wine that exhibited enhanced complexity and depth.
The sale of the Chateau Petrus 2000 ‘cuvee de la space' for a staggering US$1 million is a testament to the allure and fascination surrounding this remarkable wine. Its scarcity, coupled with its space-aged status, has undoubtedly contributed to its astronomical price tag. Collectors and wine enthusiasts are willing to pay a premium for such an extraordinary and historically significant bottle.
It is worth noting that the Chateau Petrus 2000 ‘cuvee de la space' is not the only space-aged wine in existence. Other wines, including a bottle of Chateau Lynch-Bages 1975, have also been sent to space for similar experiments. However, the Petrus 2000 holds the distinction of being the most expensive and highly sought after among them.
The most expensive bottle of Petrus is the Chateau Petrus 2000 ‘cuvee de la space', which fetched a staggering price of US$1 million in a private sale by Christie's. This exceptional wine, having spent time in space, represents a unique combination of extraordinary craftsmanship, innovation, and exploration. Its scarcity, coupled with the intriguing effects of microgravity and space radiation on its aging process, has made it a highly coveted and prized possession for collectors and wine connoisseurs worldwide.