Champagne Pol Roger, Réserve, Brut
Critics reviews
The NV Brut Réserve, based on the 2012 vintage and disgorged after four years on the lees in July 2017, is very clear, precise and fresh on the nose, with bright fruit and delicate brioche notes. Blending equal parts of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay from 30 different crus and with 25% reserve wines, this is a clear, fresh, tight and finessed Champagne with an intense, powerful but also filigreed finish. This is an impressive, taut and persistent White Foli for many opportunities. Tasted June 2018.
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (Jun 2018)
This has impressively energetic style with bold lemon, peach and berry aromas, in quite pure mode. The palate delivers a boldly vinous impression with a succulent drive of citrus and hazelnut flavors.
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James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Dec 2020)
One of the great signatures of the region, its calligraphy flowing with elegance, panache and balance, the last reflected in the equal proportions of the three great varieties of Champagne. A flamboyant straw gold lustre, and an immediately seductive nose, encyclopaedic in its indulgence. Nougat, praline, white pepper, spice and nectarine were first to the page for this taster, but there is much more behind that, the sugar discrete yet edifying, the long yeast ageing responsible for a happy and altogether luminous marriage of power and finesse. Consistently excellent. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.
Simon Field MW, decanter.com (Oct 2020)
Cooked apple, biscuit, savoury and long. Delicious salted-bread aftertaste. The absolute prototype of champagne, and I appreciate the generous dosage.
Drink 2021 - 2025
Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (Nov 2021)
About this WINE
Pol Roger
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. Pol Roger Brut Rèserve Non-Vintage, made from equal parts of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, is consistently one of the very best on the market, largely due to the high proportion of aged reserve wines in the blend.
Pol Roger vintage wines, made from at least 60% Pinot Noir and up to 40% Chardonnay, are soft and fruit-driven in youth but, after ten years or so, develop great complexity and finesse. The Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, launched in 1984 and made from a secret blend, is a Champagne of exquisite finesse and balance and one that rivals the very best of the region.
Brut Champagne
Brut denotes a dry style of Champagne (less than 15 grams per litre). Most Champagne is non-vintage, produced from a blend from different years. The non-vintage blend is always based predominately on wines made from the current harvest, enriched with aged wines (their proportion and age varies by brand) from earlier harvests, which impart an additional level of complexity to the end wine. Champagnes from a single vintage are labelled with the year reference and with the description Millésimé.
Non-vintage Champagnes can improve with short-term ageing (typically two to three years), while vintages can develop over much longer periods (five to 30 years). The most exquisite and often top-priced expression of a house’s style is referred to as Prestige Cuvée. Famous examples include Louis Roederer's Cristal, Moët & Chandon's Dom Pérignon, and Pol Roger's Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.
Recommended Producers : Krug, Billecart Salmon, Pol Roger, Bollinger, Salon, Gosset, Pierre Péters, Ruinart
Champagne Blend
Which grapes are included in the blend, and their proportion, is one of the key factors determining the style of most Champagnes. Three grapes are used - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
26% of vineyards in Champagne are planted with Chardonnay and it performs best on the Côtes des Blancs and on the chalk slopes south of Epernay. It is relatively simple to grow, although it buds early and thus is susceptible to spring frosts. It produces lighter, fresher wines than those from Burgundy and gives finesse, fruit and elegance to the final blend. It is the sole grape in Blancs de Blancs, which are some of the richest long-lived Champagnes produced.
Pinot Noir accounts for nearly 40% of the plantings in Champagne and lies at the heart of most blends - it gives Champagne its body, structure, strength and grip. It is planted across Champagne and particularly so in the southern Aube district.
The final component is Pinot Meunier and this constitutes nearly 35% of the plantings. Its durability and resistance to spring frosts make the Marne Valley, a notorious frost pocket, its natural home. It ripens well in poor years and produces a soft, fruity style of wine that is ideal for blending with the more assertive flavours of Pinot Noir. Producers allege that Pinot Meunier lacks ageing potential, but this does not deter Krug from including around 15% of it in their final blends.
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Description
One of few remaining family-owned Champagne Houses, Pol Roger blend over 30 of their aged reserve wines into the Brut Réserve. This adds further depth, complexity and flavour to an already beautifully balanced wine.
This non-vintage cuvée is made from equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It is released after over three years in the cellar and is an exuberant, elegant and eminently delicious treat.
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