Pol Roger was just nineteen when he founded his estate in 1849. Still a family-run enterprise, fifth generation Hubert de Billy is one of the descendants who manage the House today. With 89-hectares of vineyards supplying half of their grape requirements and illustrious premises containing immaculate facilities including pristinely polished stainless-steel tanks. Today they own 92 hectares of vineyards and its cellars in Epernay, just off the Avenue de Champagne run for 7.5 kms, 34 metres below the ground at a constant 9 Celsius.

Remarkably, a small team of less than ten complete everything in the cellar by hand and Pol Roger boast four of the region's remaining fifteen riddlers, who impressively turn over 60,000 bottles a day. Indeed, it is this style and their respect for tradition that initiated Sir Winston Churchill's lifelong attachment to Pol Roger, who famously insisted: "In defeat I need it, in victory I deserve it." Today, their prestige cuvée is named in honour of the great man.

Pol Roger Brut Vintage is produced in limited quantities using the traditional House blend from twenty Grand and Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. Second fermentation takes place in the coolest Pol Roger cellars, thirty-three metres below ground level at temperatures of just 9°C, some 2-3°C cooler than the cellars of other producers. The cooler cellars slow down bottle fermentation.

Weather in 2015: A wet winter and mild spring gave way to an exceptionally dry summer from mid-May onwards. Hot weather prevailed until mid-August, when the skies opened again. Rains gave way to fine, cool, yet sunny weather for the first two weeks of harvest, which commenced on August 29th. The 2015 vintage has a lot of common denominators with the 2003 vintage but the 2015s are showing a better balance of weight and freshness with their average potential alcohol level of 10.5% and total acidity of 6.9 g/l. The quality and ageing capacity of the vintage has been questioned because of the low acidity, but to me the structure of the wine is not the problem. An average vintage and we need to see more releases before we will know for sure how good the big names will be in 2015.

Technical Information:
Vineyards: 100% Grand & Premier Cru - Montagne de Reims & Côte des Blancs
Grape Varieties: 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Chardonnay
Lees Ageing: 5.5 years
Disgorged: November 2021
Dosage: 7 g/l
Alcohol: 12.5%
Drink: Now to 2030+

Tasting Note: Very powerful, emphatic nose that suggests the riches to come. Fine mousse. Clean as a whistle. A hint of crème pâtissière with a very crisp, long finish. Tasted by Jancis Robinson MW