Pol Roger - Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Brut Champagne 2018 (750ml)
Pol Roger Description
Champagne Pol Roger is a prominent Champagne producer based in Epernay. It is known for its elegant, balanced house style made from equal proportions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
The Pol Roger champagne portfolio includes a non vintage brut, a vintage brut, a demi sec, a brut nature, a rosé and a blanc de blancs.
The Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Champagne was first released in 1975 to honor the great man, who had been close friends with Odette Pol Roger as well as a big fan of Champagne. The blend used in the Sir Winston Churchill cuvée is a closely guarded secret but is dominated by Pinot Noir for structure and strength and finished with Chardonnay for its elegance.
Pol Roger grows just over half of its grapes on its 89 hectares (220 acres) of estate vineyards. The rest is supplied by contract growers with whom the company has long-term relationships. Everything is done by hand in the winery and Pol Roger is home to the largest remuage team in Champagne. The cellar of the champagne house is one of the deepest cellars in Epernay. The winery has had considerable investment in the last ten years.
The house was officially established in 1849, although at least two generations had been involved in the growing Champagne industry before Pol Roger. In the mid-1850s, export became a key focus and the house began to eschew the traditional sweetness of Champagne, producing a drier style that was more in line with British tastes.
The house grew throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries, remaining strong throughout the period of American Prohibition and the Russian Revolution. Today, Pol Roger produces around 1.8 million bottles a year.
Wine Spectator: 97 Points
Like a finely tailored suit, this exhibits impeccable harmony, class and attention to detail. Integrates a firmly structured spine of acidity with flavors of ripe plum, candied lemon peel, lightly toasted hazelnut, brioche and chamomile, caressing the palate with the plush, creamy mousse. Long on the finish, with mineral, graphite and spice hints, this is hard to stop sipping now but should reward those who wait with even greater expression in years to come.
James Suckling: 96 Points
This has complex aromas of croissant, acacia flowers, raw walnuts, flint and oyster shells. Very sleek, tight and structured on the palate, showing elegance and chalky minerality underneath. Seamless, classy finish with a deliciously dry, lightly phenolic citrus pith character coming through. Grand cru pinot noir with some chardonnay.
Vinous: 96 Points
The 2018 Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill is an elegant, polished wine very much in the gracious, lighter style of the year. Subtle citrus inflections, white peach, flowers, mint and white pepper are all beautifully delineated in the glass. Clean mineral notes infuse the vibrant finish.
Wine Advocate: 94 Points
Disgorged in June 2024 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, Pol Roger’s 2018 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill introduces itself with aromas of ripe pear, candied tangerine peel and peach mingling with dried fruit. On the palate, it is full-bodied, vinous and broad-shouldered, with a rich core of fruit and an ample, textural mid-palate, underpinned by ripe yet vibrant acidity. The wine concludes with a long, enveloping finish. Reflective of the warm growing season with a late-August harvest, this is a giving Sir Winston Churchill—undeniably in the more muscular register, with ample gourmand flesh and a presently blocky density that will reward some patience.
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