2015 Champagne Pol Roger, Sir Winston Churchill, Brut

Blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from grand cru vineyards.

Deep golden straw colour. A full-bodied, meaty nose with lots of impact. Lovely, filigree mousse – very well judged for its impact on the palate. Flavours reach every bit of the palate. Quite a charmer! Definitely already approachable – in fact, it tastes as though it would already have been pretty nice last year! A fine, succulent representative of this dry, ripe year. Pretty gorgeous, actually. Maybe it won’t be the longest-lasting Churchill, but it’s hugely satisfying now.

Drink 2023 - 2030

Subtle and restrained pastry nuances with a hint of mushroom. Lots of seriousness and generosity of fruit but in a more restrained, quiet style. Gentle autolysis with mellow apple flesh and some earthiness, bright and classic. Elegant, with reserve wine complexity. Brisk on the finish with a nougat edge. Great stuff.

Drink 2024 - 2035

A strong effort in a less-acclaimed vintage, Pol Roger’s newly released 2015 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill opens in the glass with aromas of confit citrus, ripe orchard fruits and dried white flowers mingled with hints of honeycomb, freshly baked bread and anise. 

Medium to full-bodied, vinous and concentrated, with bright acids, chalky structuring extract and a pinpoint mousse, this inherently rather rich, gastronomic Champagne is quite tightly wound out of the gates and will reward a bit of bottle age. Stylistically, it is somewhat reminiscent of a modern-day version of the 1985.

Drink 2025 - 2045

The 2015 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill shows off the savoury side of the vintage to great effect. Hints of dried pear, sage, mint, dried flowers, lemon oil and chamomile open gradually in this mid-weight, lithe edition of Pol Roger’s tête de cuvée. 

The 2015 unfolds nicely with time in the glass, but I wouldn’t think of opening a bottle anytime soon. Readers will find a nervy Winston Churchill marked by notable freshness and vigour more than size. This is a fine effort in a vintage that has proven far trickier than most observers envisioned. The dosage is 7 grams per litre. Disgorged September 2022.

Drink 2027 - 2045

Aromatically spirited and generous, the Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2015 presents enticing aromas of lemon curd, ripe apple, almond paste, butter pastry and orange peel. The medium-bodied palate has a wonderfully textured complexity and acid freshness that radiates throughout. It finishes long, toasty, and certainly invites another sip. A joy to drink. The bottle tasted was disgorged September 2022 and finished with a seven gram per liter dosage.

Drink 2023 - 2040

Very complex nose with a wide spectrum of candied citrus, dried peach and mirabelle tart aromas. Bold and rich, particularly on the mid-palate, but with a great deal of subtlety and delicacy for the vintage. This is already delicious, but at the finish you really taste how this has been made for the long term. Great drive and persistence right at the end. Drink or hold.