Champagne Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2015
The relationship between Champagne Pol Roger and Sir Winston Churchill dates back to a providential meeting at a luncheon given by the British Ambassador to France, Duff Cooper, some months after the liberation of Paris at which the sumptuous 1928 vintage of Pol Roger was served. Attending the lunch was the beautiful Odette Pol Roger as well as the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, with whom she struck up an instant rapport. A friendship was born which continued until Churchill’s death, creating links between the Pol Roger and Churchill families which are still as strong to this day. The pressures of his post sadly prevented Churchill from ever paying a visit to 44 Avenue de Champagne, the home of Champagne Pol Roger, but he nonetheless proclaimed it “the most drinkable address in the world”. As recompense for breaking his promise to visit he sent Odette a copy of his Memoirs inscribed “Cuvée de Réserve, mise en bouteille au Chateau de Chartwell”. He even named one of his racehorses “Pol Roger” and the filly strode to victory at Kempton Park in 1953, Coronation Year. The 21st vintage of the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is an alluring mid-yellow-gold with a fine stream of bubbles, both characteristics of the length of time this wine has spent in the famously cool Pol Roger cellars. The nose opens with notes of spices and pepper. A good intensity of black fruit follows, showing the fine concentration and density of the wine. The complexity is obvious: a bouquet of dried fruit and hazelnut overlayed with notes of exotic fruits. The aromas are particularly open and impressive. On the palate, candied fruit notes accompany hints of pastries, brioche and cocoa, broad and mouth-filling. Delightfully structured, the large proportion of Pinot Noir gives the roundness and gravity that one expects from this cuvée. Despite the wine’s relative youth, it is starting to show some smoky weight and good grip with broad, rich and long acidity. Full bodied and generous, the wine culminates with terrific length. Drink now or over the next 20 years.
