2018 Pol Roger Brut - A House Favourite

Not so long ago, we had the privilege of joining Hubert de Billy, the great-great grandson of Pol Roger at Oswald's in Mayfair. The exclusive party was to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the champagne house and the 150th anniversary of Winston Churchill's birth. As you might expect, there were some beautiful wines on show, including their brand new 2018 Brut Vintage.

This fine champagne house was founded in 1849 by Pol Roger at the tender age of eighteen. By 1855 he was already producing mostly Brut Champagne, a drier style that he knew the English preferred. This close relationship with England has remained strong ever since, and Pol Roger is perhaps best known as Winston Churchill's favourite champagne.

The house remains family owned and has a reputation for producing champagnes of finesse and elegance which age very well. They are one of the few Grandes Marques to own a high percentage of their own vineyards.

The 2018 vintage in champagne had perfect growing conditions and Hubert believed it to be one of the best harvests of the last hundred years. This vintage Pol Roger is already drinking beautifully, however with a few more years in the cellar it will be even better.

This vintage from Champagne Pol Roger is made from the traditional house vintage blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from 20 Grands and Premiers Crus vineyards in the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. Produced only in limited quantities the Brut Vintage 2018 has been aged in the deep champagne cellars before being disgorged and released onto the market.

It is widely known that the robust Pol Roger 1928 vintage was a firm favourite of Sir Winston Churchill, who continued to enjoy this wine until supplies ran out in 1953. Pol Roger 2018 is in fact only the fifth vintage ending in ‘8 since 1900, which seems to coincide with greatness - the latest release following the legendary Champagne harvests of 1928, ‘88, ’98, and 2008. Auspicious indeed.

"Pale yellow in colour; still looking youthful. Weighty stone-fruit on the nose evoking richness and intensity, alongside enticing elements of yeast contact. Abundant complexity and body on the palate with fine length and proper acidity. Still young and tight, but a serious young Pol Roger Vintage nonetheless. With some time to develop this will be a worthy successor to 1988, 1998 and 2008."

Official tasting note from Pol Roger

"In a vintage in which so many wines are on the lighter side, the 2018 [Pol Roger] is super-expressive, with lovely depth and impeccable balance."

Antonio Galloni

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