January 25, 2023

Château Petrus (Moueix family) dismissed by court of appeal)

The Bordeaux court has just dismissed Château Petrus against the Coureau brothers, owners of the CGM company which marketed Petrus Lambertini. The Court rejects the appeal of Château Petrus and confirms the absence of misleading commercial practice. The dispute dates back more than eight years. It all started when Stéphane Coureau, director of the CGM company with his brother, wine merchant and producer in Saint-Savin in the Bordeaux vineyards, decided to name their wine “Petrus Lambertini Major Burdegalensis 1208”. This brand had been registered with the INPI which concluded that there was no risk of confusion with the Château Petrus brand.

At first instance, the Coureau brothers were referred to the Bordeaux Criminal Court for “Deceptive commercial practices” following the publication of a consumer who wanted to resell his bottles of Petrus' second wine. Then, Château Petrus won its case despite the fact that the cuvée mentioned on the Petrus Lambertini label indicated “Côtes de Bordeaux” sold at a price of around 10 euros. In April 2018, the Bordeaux Court of Appeal dismissed the famous Château Pétrus, considering that the misleading commercial practice was not characterized.