Wine Advisor
Pol Roger, Sir Winston Churchill 1999
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Description
Champagne Pol Roger created their Prestige Cuvée in homage to Sir Winston Churchill mindful of the qualities that he sought in his champagne : robustness, a full-bodied character and relative maturity. The exact blend is a closely guarded family secret but it is undeniable that the composition would meet with the approval of the man to whom it is dedicated : "My tastes are simple, I am easily satisfied with the best". Pinot Noir predominates, providing structure, breadth and robustness whilst Chardonnay contributes elegance, finesse and subtlety. Composed exclusively of grapes sourced from Grands Crus Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards which were already under vine during Churchill's lifetime. Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is only made in the very best vintages and is always released later than the other vintage dated Champagnes from Pol Roger, marking Churchill's appreciation for older wines.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The first vintage of chef de cave Dominique Petit, the 1999 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is an especially rich, generous rendition of this bottling. Revealing aromas of buttered toast, sweet stone fruits, orange confit, iodine and pastry cream, it's full-bodied, fleshy and gourmand, with a broad attack and a layered core of sweet fruit, concluding with a long, saline finish. This, too, is drinking at its peak today, and once again there's no reason to delay gratification.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1999 Brut Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill, from magnum, is wonderfully rich and expansive, proving yet again just how well suited the big bottle is to Champagne. Smoke, peaches, mint and flowers are just some of the nuances that flow from this textured kaleidoscopic Champagne. The wine continues to gain focus and breadth through to the enticing, brilliant finish. Disgorged July, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030. Importer: Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Pol Roger dinner at The Ledbury. Pale Tasted from magnum, the nose is consistent with the bottle tasted earlier this year, the Chardonnay really driving the bouquet forward, although there is a curious tincture of aniseed that lends another dimension and later a hint of nougat. The palate has very fine weight, perhaps more so than in bottle and yet again, it seems to take its foot off of the accelerator towards the finish that is relatively simple compared to the ’98. Drink now-2025+ Tasted March 2010.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1999 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, from magnum, is wonderfully rich and expansive, proving yet again jut how well suited the big bottle is to Champagne. Smoke, peaches, mint and flowers are just some of the nuances that flow from this textured kaleidoscopic Champagne. The wine continues to gain focus and breadth through to the enticing, brilliant finish. Disgorged July, 2009. Magnum
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Pale yellow-gold. Deep, pungent nose offers an array of orchard and citrus fruit qualities, along with notes of iodine, minerals and toasty lees. Chewy and impressively concentrated, with excellent clarity to its pear and orange flavors. The toasty quality gains strength with air and carries through an impressively long, spicy, floral finish. Very impressive, especially for a release from what is widely considered a so-so vintage for Champagne.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Bright yellow-gold. An exotically perfumed bouquet displays scents of dried pear, acacia honey, toasted almond, white flowers and smoky lees. Lush and creamy in texture, offering hefty citrus and orchard fruit flavors braced by tangy minerality. The honey and smoke notes linger on the spicy, focused, very long finish. This is drinking well now but has the structure and energy to age.
About the Producer
Located in the town of Epernay in the Champagne region, Pol Roger Champagne was founded in 1849 by Pol Roger, a Champagne man from Aix-en-Provence. Over the next 50 years, Pol Roger built the estate into one of the most respected in Champagne and established it as a solid trading cornerstone in the UK. After his death, the estate passed into the hands of his sons Maurice and Georges. The two brothers had their own specialities, Maurice being very open to the public and Georges preferring to stay in the blending room and tasting room, and it was in their hands that the Champagne de la Vignoble continued to flourish. The Champagnes are now made from 55 hectares of vineyards, mostly in or around Epernay. Made from grapes grown in 18 vineyards in the Epernay region, it is a rich, deep, full-bodied wine with the vibrancy and finesse that characterise the best Champagnes. Its Reserve Champagnes can last 30 years or more, longer than the best French red wines. Another of the estate's outstanding Champagnes is the Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs, which is also one of the world's finest white in white Champagnes, made from only Chardonnay from the best vineyards in the Cramant, Le Mesnil, Oger and Avize regions. The Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs is perhaps the estate's sexiest and most glamorous, ready to drink at a young age and with less ageing capacity than the Reserve and the famous Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Champagne. Today, after a century and a half of development, traditional and modern elements can be found in all aspects of the vinification process at Château Paulus. The most direct manifestation of this modernity is in the fermentation plant, with its neat and shiny stainless steel fermenting tanks, hinting at a departure from the days of first fermentation and storage in wooden barrels. It was around the 1930s that the estate decided to move away from barrel fermentation and started using concrete tanks for fermentation and later stainless steel fermenters. This modern equipment allowed for better temperature control during fermentation and clarification, resulting in a cleaner, more consistent and better quality fermented wine. Château Paulot was one of the first champagne houses to make this change.
