Samples of the 2013 has been sent to Richard Juhlin. Say tuned for tasting note & review by the no1 champagne expert in the world.
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Champagne Pol Roger has released the latest vintage of its Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. The wine is being offered for £1,920 per case (£960 6×75) by the trade.
The 2013 vintage is the 20th release of the house’s prestige cuvée. The wine was rated 97-points by Antonio Galloni (Vinous). He said it was ‘expressive right out of the gate’ but that it still, ‘really needs time to open a bit’.
The Wine Advocate’s William Kelley, gave it a score of 96-points. He added that it had ‘turned out especially well’ and was a ‘penetrating rendition of Churchill that stands out for its charm and effortlessness’.
Fair Value
The 2013 enters the market at a 9.7% premium on the current Market Price of the 2012 (£1,750 12×75). Both have the same score from the Wine Advocate, suggesting that the 2012 offers better relative value. However, the 2013 has a stronger score than many back vintages and looks good value in comparison.
SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL & POL ROGER
There are many stories about Sir Winston Churchill and alcohol, ranging from drinking hard spirits in the early hours of the morning to some claiming that he drank 42,000 (!) Bottles of Pol Roger Champagne throughout his lifetime. Perhaps these champagne figures have been raised to mythical levels, considering that Churchill would drink 467 bottles of Pol Roger during each of the 90 years he achieved. Even the champagne house, named after its cuvée priest after him, claims that Churchill did not touch a single bottle of Pol Roger before 1908, when already in his 30’s.
’My tastes are simple, I am easily satisfied with the best’
Sir Winston Churchill