Skip to main content

2018 Pol Roger Brut - A House Favourite

By

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


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Gaja Barbaresco

By
  This week we had the opportunity to taste the extraordinary new release from Gaja - the 2018 Barbaresco - with Gaia Gaja at Maccelaio restaurant in London.  The wine was absolutely stunning and this came as no surprise, as  Gaja decided to include all of their famed single vineyard juice (from Sori San Lorenzo, Sori Tildin & Costa Russi) into their estate Barbaresco.   Perfumed, complex and with such beautiful finesse and elegance, it was simply a joy to taste. 'The hallmark of the Gaja estate, the Barbaresco is sourced from 14 vineyards within Barbaresco and Treiso. For the 2018 vintage, there will be no single cru bottlings for Barbaresco' Jeb Dunnuck   Gaja Barbaresco has an extraordinary track record and this is a wine that the family have been making since 1859. It is 100% Nebbiolo sourced from the families various vineyards located in the municipality of Barbaresco. The winery was founded in 1859 in Langhe, Piedmont by Giovanni Gaja and it ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lupicaia 2009

By
  We recently tasted a bottle of perfectly matured 2009 Lupicaia , from the beautiful Castello del Terricio in Tuscany. It was superb - so fresh, with masses of spice and mineral character, opening up after a couple of hours to reveal brilliant red fruit - absolutely on form. We are therefore delighted to have secured a parcel, and at a remarkably good price! Beautifully resonant in the glass, the 2009 Lupicaia is a standout... a gorgeous wine with tons of personality. This is a decidedly round, sexy Lupicaia that is going to offer plenty of enjoyment over the course of the next fifteen years* or so. Antonio Galloni , *tasted in 2013       'The 2009 vintage shows stunning elegance and balance and i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Taylor’s Golden Age 50 Very Old Tawny

By
  We are delighted to offer Taylor's latest release of their Very Old Tawny aged for half a century in cask, the Taylor’s Golden Age 50 . Taylor’s Ports represent over three and a quarter centuries of family tradition that began with the foundation of Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman in 1692. A heritage of skill and experience passed down the generations ensures that every Taylor’s Port is made to the highest standard. Blended from rare wood-aged ports matured for five decades in oak casks, Taylor’s Golden Age 50 is a special collector’s edition port released in very limited quantities.       Taylor’s cellars are true cathedrals of wine, built several hundred years ago; they provide the perfect conditions for long-term...
Post a Comment
Read more