When Victor Hugo said that “God made only water, but man made wine”, he didn’t mean just any wine. He meant Château Pétrus, the sexiest, glossiest, most celebrated wine of the 20th century. A household name in more than just one household, Petrus has garnered legendary status due to is superiority and well, yes, its expense. Hands down it is the world’s most impressive wine, the famous red type on the label speaking volumes before the bottle is even opened. If you want to make a splash, Petrus it is.

This is an expensive wine, and like most expensive things, a little goes a long way. Annual production of just 30,000 bottles keeps distribution to a minimum with only one distributor for worldwide, although negociants are still allowed to buy and sell futures. “We want to identify where Pétrus will be best to be sold, to ensure that customers are able to get hold of it and to drink it. We don’t want it concentrated in a few hands,” said Christophe Jacquemin Sablon, the sole distributor of the Bordeaux wine.

Although it may be the most expensive future on the (2017) market at an eye-watering €2585 (a huge €1,743 more than its other right bank celebrity Château Cheval Blanc), you quickly make your money back as soon as it is ready for sale. 2017 is selling at €3,299 and is set to go up and up. Spectacular vintages such as the legendary 1961 sold for over €116,187 at auction in 2011, setting the record for the most expensive Petrus ever sold.

Of all the 100% Merlot wines, Petrus is surprisingly one of the youngest wines in Bordeaux. The Château dates back to the 1750s and true, the wine was well-respected in the early 19th century. However, it was the intervention of Madame Loubat and Jean-Pierre Moueix in the 1940s that set it on its way to being the Petrus that we know today, implementing new equipment and management. Then JFK gave the wine the kick it needed into becoming the choice of the 20th century by proclaiming that he and Jackie were fond of the wine, and the wine was set on its path of stellar ascension. 1982 saw the first “extraordinary” vintage (extremely rare, if you can find it, expect to pay over €4,066 a bottle), with quality and prices increasing. Today, the estate is valued at over $1.5 billion, with an average bottle price of around €4,066.