And just like that, we're officially into December! It's almost hard to believe this will make week six of our tireless Champagne crusade, but as always, the warmth and fervour we're lucky to receive come each email offer and weekend tasting goes a long way in making those weeks fly by. The countdown to Christmas really is here now, and we have a legendary name entering the frame to ring in that festive cheer - Pol Roger!
Whether the offers below are the perfect chance to fill the fridges for the long meals and end-of-year parties that lie ahead, or indeed a weekend treat to enjoy with us when each cork is popped this Saturday (6th) running between 12 and 2pm, Pol has been and will always remain one of Champagne's staple icons for their commendable balance of tradition and innovation. The Réserve Brut, on special at this great price indefinitely, is a consistently exquisite NV choice (one third each exactly of all three noble grapes, a rarity these days!), and the 2015 Blanc de Blancs is showing striking fruit generosity and a precise chalky intensity now a decade on from that famously hot growing season.
A vintage that will truly be under the spotlight is 2018, as we pour a duo of that year's Brut Vintage and Brut Rosé, both bringing enriched floral aromas, ample creaminess, and broad mouthfeels; signature characteristics from a year that has become one of our very favourites for Champagne in recent memory. Onwards from those, it can't be a proper Pol Roger lineup without their flagship Sir Winston Churchill cuvée, which has just seen its 2018 iteration release to the public. What struck us most upon tasting was just how charming and polished it looked right out of the gate - the previous 2015 comparatively has only just started to come out of its shell now. It shows delicious finesse and moreish dark fruit maturity that we can't wait to show to all the admirers of this quintessential label.
We hope you can join us in raising a glass to an icon; be sure to look further below too for some additional large format options available from Pol - for those times ahead where a regular old bottle won't last very long at all!
The Lineup -
Réserve Brut NV
$95 ongoing special ($109 RRP)
// 33% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 33% Pinot Meunier
2021 base vintage (with 25% reserve wines from 2020, 2019 and 2018)
Aged on lees for 2.5 years before disgorgement late 2024
8g/L dosage
"One of my favourite champagne houses. This entry point has one-third each of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay from 30 crus, 25% reserve wines, spending 4 years on tirage. It has a flowery bouquet, terrific mouthfeel thanks to a hint of honey, and Meyer lemon cleansing the finish and aftertaste." - 95 Points, James Halliday
"Richly biscuity on the nose, with steamed rice, fresh pear and citrus blossom complexity. Creamy mousse dissolves into red apple peel, lemon and stone fruits, with a depth of honeyed biscuits. The Reserve NV from Pol Roger is a blend of base wines from at least three vintages. With 6 months of post-disgorgement ageing, the wine is ready to enjoy now." - 93 Points, Sylvia Wu, Decanter
Brut Vintage 2018
$175 on special this week ($195 RRP)
// 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay (all Grand & Premier Cru fruit from Montagne de Reims and Côtes des Blancs)
Aged on lees for 4 years before disgorgement late 2023
7g/L dosage
"1918 was the year we gave up nearly a whole generation of young men to liberate France. They are buried in Villers bretonneux – just north of La Champagne – so many young lives lost. Now, we honour them by drinking a 2018 vintage; 100 years since their sacrifice. The 2018 Pol Roger is distinct and defined - such a poised and confident wine already, with aromas of hawthorne, verbena and light lilacs. There are flavours of strawberry, redcurrant, red apples, peaches and apricots, edged with lemons and beautiful pomello. There is a creaminess on the palate flicked with mineral and chalky tones, sprinkled over with soft spices and a film of glowing honey. It has impeccable balance with a sense of beauty and finesse. 2018 was a miracle year in the Champagne region, and this wine speaks of its wonderment!" - Bernadette O'Shea, Champagne Consultant, The Wine Emporium
"Rich, floral nose with a real spread of power on both nose and palate. Really very winning! Lemon-cream flavours – very seductive. Long. This has really opened out since I first tasted it from magnum in March 2024. Definitely rich – a world away from a zero-dosage grower champagne – but it should be hugely enjoyable in the relatively short term." - 17.5/20 Points, Jancis Robinson MW
Brut Rosé Vintage 2018
$190 on special this week ($215 RRP)
// 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay + 15% red wines from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Cumières
Aged on lees for 4 years before disgorgement mid-2023
8g/L dosage
"The Pol Roger 2018 Rosé is seductive and striking, with a burst of raspberries, blackcurrant, mandarins, blood orange and streaks of mango. The nose is magnificent, with aromas of deep pink and red climbing roses, honeysuckle and pink jasmine. It has a fine-boned texture with a chalky saline layer over the fruit – giving sophisticated structure and complexity. It has a fine persistent effervescence with a lovely integrated mousse. There is a crisp fullness, indicating a long life ahead - such is this miracle year of 2018." - Bernadette O'Shea, Champagne Consultant, The Wine Emporium
"The 2018 Brut Rosé opens to a superb bouquet revealing scents of plums, red berries, pastry, almond, mandarin orange and lemon oil complemented by classy autolytic notes. On the palate, this remarkable rosé has a tauter and more fine-boned texture than usual, which is enhanced by bright acids and a chalky, saline finish. It requires patience to realize all its potential." - 94 Points, Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate
Blanc de Blancs 2015
$229 on special this week ($255 RRP)
// 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay (from Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Oiry & Oger)
Aged on lees for 6 years before disgorgement late 2021
7g/L dosage
"Brilliant light-yellow colour; some reduction on the nose initially, which cleared away quickly to reveal attractive nut and iced pastry aromas, smoky, intense and delicate—as it is also in the mouth. Citrus blossoms and small white flowers. Intense and delicate in the mouth, and not too dry but beautifully balanced. A superb wine." - 95 Points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"After the pillowy, chiseled 2013, Pol Roger's 2015 Brut Blanc de Blancs is cut from richer, broader cloth. Offering up aromas of crisp golden orchard fruit, white flowers and subtle hints of warm biscuits, it's full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a fleshy core of fruit, lively acids and a precise, chalky finish. In style, it's reminiscent of a somewhat more sun-kissed version of the 2012 rendition." - 93 Points, William Kelley, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sir Winston Churchill 2018
$535 on special this week ($599 RRP)
// 100% Grand Cru fruit (the exact varietal blend is a close-kept secret for the house!)
Aged on lees for 5 years before disgorgement mid-2024
7g/L dosage
"Deeper-flavoured than the 2018 regular vintage wine. As rich but with more marked acidity. Very vibrant with more energy than many 2018 champagnes. But, unlike some 7-year-old versions of this wine, it's already delightfully approachable. Very long." - 18/20 Points, Jancis Robinson MW
"After the 2015, the 2018 Sir Winston Churchill represents a notable return to form for this cuvée, finding an impressive level of depth and savour in a vintage sometimes marked by lack of intensity. The polish of ripe grand cru Pinot Noir shines through here, with plenty of black plum, blackberry and dark honey aromas, with brown butter and pastry richness lurking. There's certainly some fruit maturity here, and this may be a Sir Winston with a little more early-drinking charm than some, but it's a fine and true rendition of this cuvée's generous spirit." - 95 points, Tom Hewson, Decanter
" The 2018 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is an elegant, polished wine very much in the gracious, lighter style of the year. Subtle citrus inflections, white peach, flowers, mint and white pepper are all beautifully delineated in the glass. Clean mineral notes infuse the vibrant finish. This is an especially airy Churchill, a Champagne built more on finesse and persistence than size. - 96 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Also Available & On Special from Pol Roger -
Réserve Brut NV MAGNUM 1500ml
$265 on special this week ($295 RRP)
Brut Vintage 2018 MAGNUM 1500ml
$425 on special this week ($475 RRP)
Sir Winston Churchill 2015
$499 on special this week ($560 RRP)
Réserve Brut NV JEROBOAM 3000ml
Available for $715
If you wish to purchase any of these champagnes, please use the links above
Otherwise, if you have any questions, please contact us on (07)32521117 or email sales@thewineemporium.com.au
// Special prices valid until Monday the 8th of December