Pol Roger is a producer of

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

. The brand is still owned and run by the descendants of Pol Roger. Located in the town of

Épernay Épernay () is a commune in the Marne department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne at the extremity of the Cubry valley which crosses it. Éperna ...

in the

Champagne region The wine region within the historical province of Champagne in the northeast of France is best known for the production of champagne, the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name. EU law and the laws of most countries reserve the term " ...

, the house annually produces around 110,000 cases of

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

.K. Gargett, P. Forrestal, & C. Fallis ''The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine'' pg 166 Global Book Publishing 2004

History

Pol Roger was born on 24 December 1831, the son of a lawyer. Beginning as a wholesaler of wine, he started his own champagne house in 1849, with the first growths released in 1853. He received an imperial and royal warrant for the Austro-Hungarian court. The owners of Pol Roger are members of the

Primum Familiae Vini Primum Familiae Vini (often abbreviated PFV, Latin: "First Families of Wine") is an association of family-owned wineries with a membership limited to twelve families. History The association was established in 1993 by Miguel Torres and Robert Dr ...

. Pol Roger holds the current Royal Warrant as purveyors of champagne to

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

Champagnes

The house's prestige label is the

vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

''Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill''.

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

was oft to repeat

Napoleon's Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

maxim on champagne: "In victory, deserve it. In defeat, need it!" They also release three non-vintage cuvées, the Pure Brut (no added sugar), Brut Réserve and Rich (sweet), as well as three other vintage wines, the Brut Vintage,

Blanc de blancs Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

and Rosé Vintage. Pol Roger Brut Vintage is typically a blend of 40%

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

and 60%

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

, although this can vary.

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill

Pol Roger had been the favourite champagne of Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

since 1908.''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'', Odette Pol-Roger (obituary), 30 December 2000. After Churchill's death in 1965, Pol Roger placed a black border around the labels of Brut NV shipped to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

.Pol Roger
Madame Odette Pol-Roger, whom Churchill had befriended at a party at the British Embassy in Paris in 1944, attended his funeral nearly 21 years later. In 1987, when the trees of Churchill's country retreat,

Chartwell Chartwell is a country house near Westerham, Kent, in South East England. For over forty years it was the home of Winston Churchill. He bought the property in September 1922 and lived there until shortly before his death in January 1965. In th ...

, were devastated by the Great Storm, the Pol-Roger family paid for much of the replanting. In 1984, Pol-Roger introduced the

-dominant ''Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill''. The first

of this cuvée (the one introduced in 1984) was the 1975, only released in magnum format. It has been followed by the 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2012 vintages. This cuvée is typically released around ten years after its vintage year. Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill replaced the Pol Roger P.R. Reserve Speciale at the top of the range. Reserve Speciale was a 50%

and 50% Pinot noir blend from 100% rated grand cru vineyards. First released with the 1971 vintage, it continued to be produced alongside Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill until the 1988 vintage, when its production was terminated as Pol Roger felt no need to have two competing prestige cuvees.

History

Champagnes

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill

See also