Pol Roger

Established in 1849, Champagne Pol Roger remains family-owned and proudly independent to this day. The history and spirit of the company mirrors that of the family who bear the same name: a respect for nature, a devotion to quality and a certain joie de vivre.

As one of the smaller houses, Champagne Pol Roger owns 87 hectares of vineyards on prime sites in the Valle d'Epernay and the Cote des Blancs, drawing the remainder of their supplies from individual growers, many of whom have supplied Pol Roger for generations. Its cellars, extending to 7 km, lie on three levels in the chalk below the streets of Epernay and are among the deepest and coolest cellars in the region: contributing to the slow maturation and creation of fine, persistent bubbles which are the hallmark of all Pol Roger champagnes.

Pol Roger's most famous customer was Sir Winston Churchill, who insisted on enjoying the wine at the most dangerous and dark periods of wartime. He famously borrowed a slogan of Napoleon's to describe his passion for this supremely invigorating champagne: "In defeat I need it, in victory I deserve it".

In 1984 Pol Roger introduced the Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill. In 2006 the Cuvee was re-released in a new livery with lively shades of marine blue and red recalling the resplendent uniform worn by Sir Winston during his tenure of the Wardenship of the Cinque Ports. The champagne reflects the rich, mature, full-bodied style of Pol Roger champagne made before the Second World War, the style that Churchill preferred. Christian Pol-Roger explains: "The composition is not disclosed as Winston Churchill never asked about the exact composition of our cuvees  but Pinot Noir dominates, blended with Chardonnay. The grapes are from Grand Cru vineyards under vine in Churchill's lifetime.

Source: Pol Roger