2013 Champagne Pol Roger, Brut
Critics reviews
Pol Roger's just-released 2013 Brut Vintage is a beautifully chiseled, incisive wine that will appeal immensely to purists. Unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus zest, white flowers, crushed chalk and hints of fresh sourdoughs, it's medium to full-bodied, racy and precise, with a nicely concentrated and tightly wound core, tangy acids and an elegant pinpoint mousse.
After the rich, muscular 2012 vintage, the 2013 represents quite a contrast; I'm not sure we'll see its stylistic like again for some time, so readers with classically inclined palates will want to stock up—advice I'll be following myself.
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (October 2020)
Quite a rich nose with come-on appeal – though probably not to a grower-champagne devotee! Firm cooking-apple flavour and apple-skin texture on the palate. Much lighter and more frivolous than the 2012. Just a little light, especially on the finish.
Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (October 2020)
Flaxen straw, with a whisper of rare gold, subtlety writ large on the nose, with orchard fruit, verbena and a discreet hint of almond and cashew evidenced. The palate, with air, transforms sourdough into pastry, green apples into spicy quince and kumquat, with spring flowers and shortbread in support. Preserved salted lemons, and a whisper of cashew and buttermilk, restraint and finesse above all else but the potential to grow and prosper is underwritten by a firm structure and an impressive purity of fruit.
Simon Field MW, Decanter.com (October 2020)
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
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the "Big Daddy" of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world. It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
Lemon tinged hue with persistent, incredibly fine bubbles, its hallmark Pol from the off. Starting with a tantalising freshness, the Chardonnay is dominant with the nose offering crisp white currants, granny smith apples and notes of orange blossom. Hints of wild redcurrants arrive with aeration. Superb texture and weight, flavours of apple skin and toasted almond hits the mid-palate, complemented by an exquisite mineral zing which holds throughout.
Slight richness of warm gingerbread on the finish, followed by a crystalline acidity and saline crunch, the length goes on and on. So moreish and sophisticated, but one does not need to be to enjoy this! Another string to the bow of this adored Champagne house, this limited bottling is one to snap up.
Recommended to enjoy from now to 2032
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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