June Wine Club I | 11 June 2015

Pol Roger is The Speccie’s favourite fizz and no event here is complete without it. In fact, judging by the heroic amounts we get through — notably at the summer party — I’d say we could almost be Pol’s best customer. This is The Spectator after all, not the New Statesman.

Of course, Pol Roger’s most famous customer was Sir Winston Churchill who, the company estimates, got through more than 500 cases in the last ten years of his life. Of his titanic consumption of Pol Roger, Churchill’s daughter, Lady Soames, memorably remarked, ‘I saw him many times the better for it, but never the worse.’

It’s the 50th anniversary of the great man’s death this year, as well as the 70th anniversary of VE Day, and what better way to commemorate such events than with some Pol or some other gems from Pol’s portfolio?

The Pol Roger Brut Réserve NV (£37.20), often known as ‘White Foil’ (1), is spectacularly fine, blended from 30 or more base wines drawn from several different vineyards and several different vintages (Pol being famous for the high percentage of reserve wines it uses).

The cépage is a neat one third each of Chardonnay (for lightness and elegance), Pinot Noir (for body and character) and Pinot Meunier (for freshness and vigour). UK stocks have an extra six months in bottle before release, leaving the wine full of nuts, apple, brioche and even honeysuckle. Delicious!

The 2004 Pol Roger (£58.45) is drinking beautifully and will be even better in a year or so (2). A blend of 60 per cent Pinot Noir and 40 per cent Chardonnay from 20 Grands and Premiers Crus vineyards, it was aged for eight years before disgorgement. It has plenty of weighty fruit — apples, quince and even a touch of peach — but is light on its feet with delicate touches of newly baked pastry, honey and something teasing I can’t quite put my finger on — elderflower maybe.