At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Place
- Épernay, Champagne
- Main grapes
- Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay
- Range
- Multi-cru non-vintage and vintage cuvées
- Signature wine
- Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
- House
- Family owned and run by descendants of Pol Roger
The Producer
Pol Roger made his first sale of wine in January 1849. The family settled in Épernay in 1851, and descendants of the founder still own and run the maison. By 1855, Pol Roger was favouring brut Champagne in response to English preferences.
The range moves from a consistent non-vintage blend to vintage Champagnes and Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. The house combines Champagne's three principal grapes across bottles that vary in cru selection, vintage and release timing.
Place
Pol Roger's home is 1 rue Winston Churchill in Épernay. Its Champagne geography extends beyond the town: Brut Réserve draws from multiple crus, and Brut Vintage 2018 comes from vineyards in Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs.
A cru is a recognised Champagne vineyard area, so a multi-cru blend gathers fruit from more than one part of the region. The house is tied to an Épernay address, not to a named parcel or soil profile.
Wines
Brut Réserve is the house's consistent non-vintage Champagne. It combines equal parts of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay from 30 crus, with 25% reserve wines. Reserve wines come from earlier harvests and help a non-vintage cuvée retain a consistent style from year to year. The nose brings pear, mango, honeysuckle, white jasmine, vanilla and brioche. The palate is lively and refreshing, with mouth-watering acidity, delicate mousse and mineral texture, finishing with tart blossom honey.
Brut Vintage 2018 is made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from 20 Grand and Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs. It was produced in limited quantities and aged in the house's deep cellars before disgorgement and release. Disgorgement removes the yeast sediment left by bottle fermentation before the wine is closed for sale.
Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2018 keeps its exact grape proportions secret. Pinot Noir predominates, while Chardonnay brings subtlety. The cuvée is made only in the very best vintages and released later than Pol Roger's other vintage Champagnes. Its second fermentation takes place in bottle at 9°C in cellars 33 metres below street level, followed by hand riddling.
Final Word
Pol Roger joins an Épernay base and family ownership to a Champagne range that moves from consistent non-vintage blending to vintage wines and the later released Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.
Sources
1. https://www.polroger.com/?langue=en&url=%2Fen%2Fhistory-champagne 2. https://www.maisons-champagne.com/en/house/pol-roger 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PolRoger 4. https://www.polroger.com/en/champagnes/2/brut-reserve 5. https://www.polroger.com/en/champagnes/3/brut-vintage?langue=en&url=%2Fen%2Fchampagnes%2F3%2Fbrut-vintage 6. https://www.polroger.com/en/champagnes/4/cuvee-sir-winston-churchill 7. https://www.falstaff.com/en/wines/champagne-pol-roger-10