Pol Roger dates back to 1849, when a young and enterprising 17-year-old Pol Roger made his first wine sale. 175 years later, the champagne house and winery – with vineyards dotted across the Vallée de la Marne, Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs – is still in the family, run by the fifth and sixth generations. With such a long lineage, the house has survived through many a conflict, including the Franco-Prussian war, US Prohibition and two World Wars – and yet Pol Roger has stuck to its roots, producing a champagne that’s still independently owned.

Famously Winston Churchill’s favourite fizz, the relationship between the house and one of the UK’s most famous politicians began over a luncheon hosted by the British ambassador to France, Duff Cooper. Attended by then-prime minister Churchill and the beautiful Odette Pol-Roger, it was here that the 1928 vintage of Pol Roger was served and a friendship was formed – one that lasted a lifetime, and the families are still allies today.

The pressures of his post may have prevented Churchill from visiting 44 Avenue de Champagne, the home of Pol Roger, but he nonetheless proclaimed it “the most drinkable address in the world”. It didn’t stop there, as he named one of his racehorses ‘Pol Roger’ and the fine filly strode to victory at Kempton Park in 1953, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

Celebrating Churchill and his love for the house, Pol Roger created its prestige cuvée to honour the qualities he sought in his fizz: robustness, a full-bodied character and relative maturity. Pinot noir and chardonnay are combined to give such elegance, though the exact blend is a closely guarded family secret. To make the expression even more distinct, his namesake cuvée is only made in the very best vintages and is always released later than the other vintage-dated champagnes from Pol Roger, nodding to Churchill’s appreciation for older wines. Here, James Simpson, managing director of Pol Roger, shares a little more about the secret blend, and the notes of the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2015.

TASTING NOTE 1: SPICE BOUQUET

Champagne’s geographical location engenders unpredictable weather. For this reason, we do not release a vintage-dated champagne unless the climatic condition permits the production of grapes of outstanding ripeness. A vintage champagne must be, above all, a balanced champagne; evocative of its year, it must still show tension between its various facets. The nose opens with notes of spices and pepper.

TASTING NOTE 2: BLACK BERRIES

The year 2015 began with one of the warmer and wetter winters of the past 10 years. A hot spring developed into worryingly drought-like conditions, with a welcome burst of rain in late August. The cuvée is comprised of a large proportion of Pinot Noir, a cépage which Churchill preferred and was more popular in Pol Roger cuvées in the early 20^th century. This gives the roundness and gravitas that one expects from this expression. A good intensity of black fruit is present, showing the concentration and density of the wine. The complexity is obvious, with a bouquet of dried fruit and hazelnut that is overlayed with exotic fruits.

TASTING NOTE 3: CANDIED FRUIT AND PASTRIES

After Winston Churchill died in 1965, the family placed a black border round its labels as a mark of respect for the great statesman. In 1984, they released the 1975 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill at Blenheim Palace, initially exclusively as a magnum. Candied fruit notes accompany hints of pastries, brioche and cocoa: broad and mouth-filling.

James Simpson MW

TASTING NOTE 4: WEIGHT AND TENSION 

Despite the wine’s relative youth, it is starting to show some smoky weight and good grip with broadness, richness and long acidity. Full bodied and generous, the wine culminates with terrific length. This is a wine which pays tribute to the family connections that the Pol Roger family has made through the generations. Before the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is released, members of both the Pol Roger and Churchill families meet to taste, discuss and approve the final blend. An exercise in maturity and fruit purity, the ageing and lees interaction adds breadth to the palate, with stainless steel fermentation ameliorating the fruit purity of the cuvee.

WHERE TO SIP

During his time in power, Sir Winston Churchill naturally frequented Britain’s Old War Office at Whitehall Palace – therefore, it was an apt choice for Pol Roger to be served at the new five-star hotel, Raffles at The OWO. The hotel also offers an hour-long Pol Roger masterclass, allowing guests to discover a curated collection from the house.

POL ROGER Cuveé Sir Winston Churchill 2015

£260

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