Description
Arden Fine Wines in London offers the Pol Roger Winston Churchill 1996.
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“Champagne imparts a feeling of exhilaration. The nerves brace, the imagination stirs equally, and the wits become more nimble.”
So said Sir Winston Churchill, in praise of his favourite tipple.
This is a Champagne that celebrates its intensity, for its forthright and robust Pinot power – well-named, therefore.
Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1996
The high-acid 1996 Champagnes certainly take their time, and this one is no exception.
It offers ripe, plush, generous, and playful qualities.
The hints of tobacco leaf and bracken hide behind the orchard fruits, then smoke and umami emerge, and somewhat surprisingly, a slightly lactic, oxidative character recalls Verdelho Madeira.
The wine remains dignified and aristocratic, long, and resilient, exemplifying old school style Champagne.
A brief history of Pol Roger
Champagne Pol Roger, initially known as Roger, received its name in deference to the full name of its founder, who lived from 1849 until 1899.
Pol’s children, Maurice and Georges Roger, developed the newly-branded business, and members of the fifth generation now run it.
Champagne Pol Roger received the title By Appointment to His Majesty the King, purveyor of Champagne to the royal family, in 1911.
As such, Pol Roger provided the Champagne for the coronation of George V and for many state events thereafter.
Family ownership and a close link to the United Kingdom remain important to Pol Roger.
Pol Roger and Sir Winston Churchill
Think of the gestation of the brand: of the (platonic) infatuation between Sir Winston and Odette de Pol Roger, and of his accolade, chivalrous to a fault, that took the form of naming a racehorse after her.
The Champagne house returned the compliment by creating the first vintage of the eponymous cuvée (exclusively in magnum) ten years after Churchill’s death, in 1975.
Pol Roger released the 1975 wine – the first vintage of Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill – in 1984 at Blenheim Palace.
Now, with the 2018, this great Champagne is celebrating its 22nd vintage release.
How they make Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
The precise blend remains a secret, though experts know it to be majority Pinot Noir, probably sourced in large part from the north-facing vineyards of Mailly and Verzenay and, to a lesser extent, from other grands crus in the Montagne de Reims, including Aÿ, Ambonnay, and Bouzy.
In more recent vintages, the proportion of Pinot Noir has approached 90%.
Subtle changes, therefore, have occurred.
The only outward development was the shedding of the black livery of the label after a suitable period of mourning.
Its subsequent hue navy blue with a dark red stripe is a design based on Winston Churchill’s naval uniform.
The must (grape juice) undergoes two débourbages (settlings), one at the presshouse immediately after pressing.
The second, a débourbage à froid, takes place in stainless-steel tanks at 43°F (6°C) over a 24-hour period.
A slow, cool fermentation, with the temperature kept under 64°F (18°C), takes place in stainless steel.
Each grape variety and each village is kept separate.
The wine undergoes a full malolactic fermentation before final blending.
The bottle undergoes secondary fermentation at 48°F (9°C) in the deepest Pol Roger cellars (110ft [33m] below street level), where the winemakers keep the wine until they perform remuage (riddling) by hand, a rarity in Champagne nowadays.
The winemakers select the wine for the Sir Winston bottling to age for the longest period, initially for a whole decade.
However, they have reduced this a little lately, with them disgorging the 2015, for example, in 2023.
Overall, the Pol Roger style focuses on elegance and precision.
