pol roger sir winston churchill brut 2013 750ml

Champagne Pol Roger created their Prestige Cuvee 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. Cuvee 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
- The opulent golden colour of the wine is enlivened by a fine, harmonious stream of bubbles.
- At first, the rich nose boasts notes of white flowers and freshly baked brioche aromas. As the wine warms in the glass, it exudes scents of dried fruits and toasted almonds and hazelnuts, combining with a hint of orange zest.
- On the palate, the wine is immediately powerful and yet exquisitely well-balanced; refreshing flavours of citrus fruit, notably grapefruit, are coupled with creamy notes of pastry.

As Sir Winston Churchill said in 1931 in New York, "First things first. Get the champagne."

Another of the much-heralded prestige champagne releases from the stellar 2012 vintages is now available. Anyone who has followed the recent vintages from this region will be all too aware that 2008 and 2012 are two brilliant vintages that should be in every wine lover's cellar.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM:
99 points - "Cellar Selection" Wine Enthusiast
"The great 2012 vintage shows well in this rich, full Champagne. Dominated as usual by Pinot Noir, the wine is powerfully ripe and impressively full of white fruits and tight minerality. Ready to drink from 2022, it is worthy of aging and certainly drinkable even in 10 years time."

98 points - James Suckling
"Intense aromas of strawberry and subtle apple with pie crust and some ash and stone. An almost smoky undertone to the aromas. Full-bodied and very layered with ultra fine tannins that give it a rough-cut, velvety texture. It's very flavorful, yet so checked and reserved at the same time. Compact, tight palate that is deep and powerful. Very vinous at the end and in the mouth feel. Spicy and biscuity at the finish. Mostly pinot noir with chardonnay and only grand cru. More density and complexity than the 2008. Seven years on the lees. Delicious and luxurious to drink now, but giving this some age will make it even better."

97 points - Wine Spectator
"Sleek, with racy acidity, this tightly-meshed version nonetheless offers a lovely range of flavors, with ripe black cherry and currant fruit and accents of pomegranate, candied kumquat and raw almond. Finely detailed, creamily swaths the palate in silk-like texture, carrying the expanding flavor profile through to a graphite- and spice-laced, lasting finish. Drink now through 2032. 600 cases imported. "

96+ points - William Kelley (Wine Advocate)
"Pol Roger's newly released 2012 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is showing brilliantly, bursting from the glass with youthful aromas of honeyed pears, toasted brioche, pomelo, fresh pastry, green apple and mandarin orange, with hints of stone fruit emerging with time in the glass. Full-bodied, vinous and textural, with an enveloping core of fleshy, concentrated fruit, bright acids and an elegant pinpoint mousse, it concludes with a long, penetrating finish. More muscular and vibrant than the generous and charming 2009, the 2012 ranks alongside the 2008 and 2002 as one of the three finest renditions of Sir Winston Churchill this millennium-and in style it resembles a hypothetical blend of those two vintages. Drink: 2022-2045."

95 points - Decanter
"A deep lemon gold colour, a decorous and persistent bead and then an enticing aromatic of orchard fruit, yeast, spice and crystallised lemon, behind that the softly beguiling lure of magnificently self- assured Pinot Noir. More immediately attractive than illustrious forebears such as 2002 and 2008, the wine is already encyclopedic in scope, vanilla pod and a lick of sour honey brightly predictive, with more ascetic, chalky, pithy notes underwriting the rigours of today's structure. A wine of great dignity, authority and bearing; remind you of anyone? Dosage 7g/L. Disgorged July 2020. Drinking Window: 2022-2035."

750ml Bottle