Vintage 2002 is legendary in Champagne and has often been named the vintage of the century. But did the hype and unanimity of its success result in the unfair neglect of another, perhaps equally, great vintage? We conducted a blind tasting to find out.
Our previous write-up highlighted what a spectacular year 2019 was for champagne. The good news? 2020 is set to be even bigger! In this article, we look to the future and discuss which champagnes we can expect to be released in 2020.
Earlier this week, Jancis Robinson MW presented our standout champagne tasting of the year to a packed St James’s Room at 67 Pall Mall. The theme was champagne’s ageing potential and guests sampled ten pairs (an old and current vintage) from ten major brands.
In early March, we met with President of Pol Roger Laurent d’Harcourt at the winery in Épernay to taste the 2018 base wines and conduct a vertical tasting of Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs vintages, dating from 1986-2012.
Today, Pol Roger launch their eagerly anticipated Brut Vintage 2012, following the release of Blanc de Blancs 2012 last month. From a vintage whose reputation rivals that of both 2002 and 2008, these champagnes are highly anticipated by critics and consumers alike.
Our 2018 Champagne Review takes a look back at an eventful year for the world’s best sparkling wine, highlighting the news stories that made headlines, including stunning new releases; a record-breaking harvest; world-class tasting events; and a first for English sparkling wine.
With vintage 2008 currently dominating the attention of the champagne trade and associated media outlets, we decided to organise a tasting of champagne pairs from 2008 and 2009 (hosted by Jancis Robinson MW), to objectively compare the merits of both vintages and evaluate the price premium and superiority of 2008.
This week, we have a range of vintage champagnes on offer for our weekly Christmas promotion, including magnums of new Louis Roederer Brut Vintage 2012 and Taittinger Brut Vintage 2012, and 11% off the world-class Piper-Heidsieck 2008.
This week we’re celebrating the most popular style of champagne: non-vintage. Since we love magnums, we’re promoting both bottles and magnums from some of the region’s most popular brands, including Bollinger, Charles Heidsieck and Pol Roger.
Last weekend, we attended a veritable extravaganza of champagne and food: a tasting of 88 champagnes from 1988 organised by fizz fanatic Peter Crawford and hosted at multiple Michelin-starred restaurants Domaine Les Crayères and L’Assiette Champenoise. Read our review of every champagne tasted.
Pol Roger launched their much-awaited prestige cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2008 in London this evening. After the success of their Brut Vintage 2008, described as “one of their greatest ever years”, expectations for the prestige cuvée are sky-high.
Champagne fanatic and life-long Pol Roger devotee Peter Crawford recently tasted a bottle of Sir Winston Churchill 2008 at the house in Épernay. With its release imminent, Crawford’s tasting note suggests it may exceed expectations.
How well does vintage champagne age? We set out to answer this question last week, under the expert guidance of Essi Avellan MW, during our Evolution of Champagne Masterclass. With vintage champagnes ranging from 1983-2012, it was a night to remember.
Last week, Essi Avellan MW presented an Evolution of Champagne Masterclass at Frederick’s, Islington, during which guests compared old and new vintage champagnes from five leading brands. Read SixAtmospheres’ Tom Hewson’s review of the event here.
Last year, Pol Roger described Sir Winston Churchill 2008 as “the best vintage since 1988 and the most investible Churchill we’ve ever made.” Due for release in Autumn 2018, we look forward to what is certain to be one of the most exciting releases this year.
Our Champagne Range Tasting on Wednesday 13th June at Frederick’s, Islington was once again a roaring success. The sun shone as fifty guests tasted nearly forty champagnes, including many new releases and even a few magnums. Browse the photographs here.
Browse the photographs from our March 2018 Champagne Range Tasting at Frederick’s in Islington. Over fifty guests tasted a whopping fifty champagnes, including new releases, from brands such as Bollinger, Dom Pérignon, Louis Roederer, Pol Roger, Piper-Heidsieck, Taittinger and more…
New Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2009 is a wonderfully fresh, fruit-forward champagne from a generous and warm vintage. We tasted it alongside the previous release – Pol Roger 2008 – for comparison.
Did you miss our latest Champagne tasting? Fear not! Full coverage of our spectacular Prestige Cuvée vs Vintage tasting with Jancis Robinson MW is now live. Watch a video footage comparison of each unique pair from the comfort of your home.
Browse the photographs from our latest Champagne Range Tasting at Frederick’s. Over fifty guests tasted 42 champagnes from Bollinger, Dom Pérignon, Gosset, Louis Roederer, Pol Roger, Piper-Heidsieck, Taittinger and more…
Our Prestige Cuvée vs Vintage Champagne tasting with Jancis Robinson MW at 67 Pall Mall on Wednesday evening was a roaring success. Read our review, see the results and browse the pictures.
During August bank holiday weekend we stopped in Épernay with Jancis Robinson MW for a comprehensive comparison of Pol Roger Brut Vintage and Sir Winston Churchill, dating back to 1993. All in the name of research!
Read Tim Hall’s review of the first ever complete vertical tasting of Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill. Every vintage made from 1975 to 2004, all in magnum (but for the 1988 jeroboam)… where was our invite…
To celebrate the release of Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2008, we put it to the test in a blind vertical tasting of the last four vintages of Pol: 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. We also threw in the non-vintage for good measure.
Full coverage of our Prestige Cuvées from 2002 Champagne Tasting hosted by Jancis Robinson MW on 6th Oct 2016, including short clips of Jancis’ thoughts on each pair.
Pol Roger launched their latest release, Brut Vintage 2008 last Thursday at Kensington Palace. Pol are already claiming it to be one of their best ever years and we’re inclined to agree…
A blind tasting of thirteen Rosé Champagnes and one English Sparkling with FT’s Alice Lascelles, Richard Bampfield MW, Simon Stockton and Frederick’s restaurant manager Matt. Just another Wednesday.
We tasted Pol Roger’s newest release Sir Winston Churchill 2004. This marks the 15th release of Pol Roger’s prestige cuvée, an incredibly full-bodied champagne. Read our preview to the official launch.
Pol Roger’s new release of 2008 Blanc de Blancs is the ‘best ever’ according to the managing director of Pol Roger UK. Find out more here
As the days grow longer and the evenings warmer, buyers begin to turn their attention to Champagne. Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill was the biggest mover in March.
Our first Champagne Tasting of 2015 will be an informal walk-around event at Frederick’s, Islington on Wednesday 17th June – tasting Louis Roederer, Krug, Pol Roger & more!
