Pol Roger Winston Churchill 2012

In 1908 Winston Churchill drank his first glass of Pol Roger Champagne and it proved to be a decisive moment as he became a lifelong devotee of the house. He was so taken with the 1947 vintage that he declared that he needed a life time's supply. 20,000 bottles were duly reserved for him.

The 'Cuvée Winston Churchill', the most prestigious of Pol Roger's wines, was first created from the 1975 vintage as a tribute to the great man. The composition of the blend is a secret closely guarded by the Roger and de Billy families, but relies on a formula of which its namesake would thoroughly approve. Only the best grapes from the best vineyards (and only those under vine in Sir Winston's day) from the best vintages are used.

A clear yellow-gold in colour, the wine is overt and generous with hints of fresh butter, nuts and even tobacco. The initial freshness tends to give way to a more powerful range of deeper aromas such as liquorice, wood and leather and reveals the great complexity which is a hallmark of vintage Pol Roger. Given its youth the wine still holds a lot in reserve but it has a masculine structure and phenomenal length. Ideal as an accompaniment to roasted game and manages to balance itself between force and finesse, presence and delicacy.