Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2008
Champagne Pol Roger
The friendship between Champagne Pol Roger and Sir Winston Churchill dates back to the 1928 vintage of Pol Roger. This deep friendship continued until his death and created a deep link between the two families. Among his array of famous quotes, Sir Churchill once called Pol Roger “the world’s most drinkable address”.
To commemorate this friendship, Pol Roger produced the premiere release of “Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill” with the 1975 vintage, which was produced in magnum only and released in 1984.
Vinification: While the exact blend is a family secret, it is believed that the wine is blended to meet the late Churchill’s approval and is most likely a majority of Pinot Noir. Grapes are sourced from old vines located exclusively in Grand Cru vineyards. Like all Pol Roger Champagnes this cuvée is fermented in stainless steel at very low temperatures. The wine is aged in the deepest portions of the Pol Roger cellars for an average of 10 years prior to release. Maturation in the deep cellars of Pol Roger results in a wine with a very fine mousse and intense and extraordinarily complex layers of fruit, exotic spice and minerality. With immense pride and joy, Pol Roger created this prestige cuvée to honor Sir Winston and is made in a style of which he would approve. The precise blend is a family secret and is produced only in the finest vintages. This cuvée was composed of grapes from the same plots that were sourced to produce Churchill’s favorite vintages, such as the excellent 1928. “SWC” has been called the “greatest luxury cuvée of modern times.”
Additional Information
The wine displays a mid golden yellow color and continuous stream of delicate bubbles. An elegant and powerful nose with toasted brioche over fresh quince, peach and apricot with an underlying oral character and high-toned cinnamon spice with hints of lime leaf. A balanced palate with weight, power, a velvety texture and a long persistent pure acidity. With weight and complexity characteristic both of the terroir and vintage. A long after taste with a light touch of citric acidity bringing together a wine of undeniable majesty. Already drinking well now and will continue to improve over the medium term.
Technical Details
- Appellation: Champagne
- Winemaker: Damien Cambres
- Sustainability: Sustainable Practices
- Alcohol: 12.5%
- Dosage: 7 g/l
- Sizes Available: 750ml, 1.5L
- Pack Size: 6/750ml, 3/1.5L
- Varietals: Proprietary secret
Recent Press
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Score: 97 Points
JamesSuckling.com Author: James Suckling
Date: Monday, September 2, 2019"I love the balance between weight and agility in this wine with a dense and compact palate. Yet, there’s brightness and creaminess that melts into the glass. Lots of brioche, pie crust and strawberry tart. Serious balancing act here. Drinkable, but better with a few years of age." -
Score: 97 Points
The Wine Advocate Author: William Kelley
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2019"Released in October of last year, Pol Roger's 2008 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of waxy citrus rind, dried white flowers, freshly baked bread, iodine and honeyed yellow apple. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, powerful and vinous, with a deep and multidimensional core, broad structural shoulders and considerable concentration, girdled by tangy acids and displaying a youthfully frothy but incipiently fine mousse. The finish is long and intense. This is a terrific rendition of this reliably superb cuvée and well worth seeking out." -
Score: 96 Points
Wine Spectator Author: Alison Napjus
Date: Wednesday, April 24, 2019"This lovely, elegant version is more about restraint and finesse than power, caressing the palate with a silky mousse and a finely woven range of ripe Asian pear, biscuit and star fruit flavors, accented by elderflower, ground ginger and almond skin notes. Lightly mouthwatering, expanding on the chalk-tinged finish. Drink now through 2033. From France." -
Score: 100 Points
Wine Enthusiast Author: Roger Voss
Date: Monday, December 31, 2018"One of the great Champagnes both for its richness and its longevity, this latest incarnation is superb. The wine’s richness is linked to the ripe fruit and the dominance of Pinot Noir in the blend. It also shines in the perfect balance between the texture, the minerality and the integration of the fruit. It can be enjoyed now, but it will be better from 2020 and then for many years to come."Grade: Cellar Selection -
Score: 96 Points
The Wine Advocate Author: Stephan Reinhardt
Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2018"Sourced in grand cru vineyards and blending Pinot Noir with Chardonnay, Pol Roger's 2008 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill displays an intense straw-yellow/white-golden color and opens with a beautifully deep, fresh, concentrated and beautifully aromatic bouquet of perfectly ripe tropical fruits, refreshing lemons, very fine vanilla and brioche aromas. The attack on the palate is fresh and finessed, and in the following seconds, the 2008 reveals great airiness, precision, purity and intensity with a firm, persistent structure in the long, refreshing, perfectly balanced and mouthwateringly salty finish. The 2008 Winston Churchill is a highly complex yet focused and vitalizing prestige cuvée of great, great finesse, chalky expression and exciting elegance. It already drinks great but also indicates immense aging potential. It's most likely one of the finest of this century and one of the greatest Churchills of modern times. Tasted from lot L82002894D in July 2018. Disgorgement date unknown. The wine will be released in the second half of this year."
