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Sir Winston Churchill 1996

Pol Roger, Champagne, France

Pol Roger
Champagne France
  • 97
    Points
  • The 679 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 23 Pros of
    24 recommend
    this wine
272 97
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    577

  • Producer ranking ?

    9

  • Decanting time

    No

  • When to drink

    2020-2035

  • Food Pairing

    Seafood, Salads & Consommes

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Story

The relationship between Champagne Pol Roger and Sir Winston Churchill dates back to a providential meeting at a luncheon given by the British Ambassador to France some months after the liberation of Paris at which was served the sumptuous 1928 vintage of Pol Roger. Attending the lunch was the beautiful Odette Pol-Roger as well as the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, with whom she struck up an instant rapport. A friendship was born which co...

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Wine Information

Churchill and Champagne

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born in 1874, in the same year as Pol Roger’s first vintage champagne. This wine was to make Pol Roger famous on the English market. Equally, Winston Churchill was to grow into a statesman of the highest rank. In addition to having been selected as the most significant person in British history, he was also awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. This multi-talented man was a skil...

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Vintage 1996

Up to this point 1996 has been considered a fantastic vintage which produced classic wines; the best since 1990. A long, dry summer produced grapes of record ripeness with record acidity. Some, including myself, question how the 1996s are aging. The wines are generally characterized by a distinctive rather lemony acidity and very good attack, but some wines now seem terribly austere, while others already seem dangerously short of fruit. None o...

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Tasting note

color

Deep, Yellow and Bright

ending

Long, Flavorful and Vibrant

flavors

Apricot, Mineral, Steely, Citrus, White fruits and Toasty

nose

Open, Ripe, Complex and Refined

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Balanced, Concentrated, Well-Integrated, Developing, Medium-bodied, Round, Harmonious, Silky and Dry

Verdict

Intelligent and Sophisticated

Written Notes

As the man in the advert said, ‘but wait, there’s more’. One of the greatest champagnes one could ever hope to drink has to be the legendary Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill, and have they ever done it better than in 1996? If nothing else, this array of stunning champagnes should put to rest any concerns you might have as to ageing good champagne for many years, if you have good cellaring conditions. 

This was simply gleaming. Wonderfully complex, deep and fully-flavoured with serious complexity. A supple, seductive texture and incredible length. Hedonism in a glass. Suffice to say, it lived up to its sanctified reputation. 98.

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  • 98p
Probably the foremost Winston Churchill that the world has ever seen since the prime minister passed away! Incomparably grand and impressive. This wine thunders forth like a symphony by Beethoven. The kettle drums are at full blast and the bass is impossibly heavy. But still, Pol Roger's eminently amiable drinkable quality and elevating acid are present. A wine with which to fill your cellar. Fairly soon to enter a tunnel unfortunately, so hang on for a while!
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  • 96p
We started appropriately with an ambassador of sorts, the 1996 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill. It’s an ambassador not only due to the man after whom it was named, but also because it remains a great value (arguably greatest) for one of the Top Ten luxury cuvees made in Champagne. In fact, at a December dinner at Chateau Lafite, I was reminded how good even the regular non-vintage Pol Roger is when it was served before dinner. That, too, remains one of the great buys in bubbly, still less than $30 a bottle. The 1996 was a great way to start off the evening, delivering an outstanding experience from the word go. Its nose had picture perfect balance between its sweetness, fruit and structural components. Big Boy called it, ‘Krug-like with its green apples.’ Golden aromas showered over its minerally, slaty, racy and wound personality. BB kept harping on its ‘slaty’ qualities, also appreciating its ‘mid-palate depth.’ It did have that, flashing its fruit in the mouth like an Ali jab. There was great toast to this complex bubbly, but BB felt it was ‘missing the pitch and citricity of 6-star,’ though I countered that it was still a bit young for 6-star status, and that many wines need to blossom into that category. However, a couple of other bubblies would soon remind us that 6-star status is something that can come across even at a young age
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  • 95p
Medium-intense pale yellow colour, vivid bubbles. Fresh, very intense nose but still closed – citrus aromas with yeasty twist. Crisp and concentrated palate with high acidity and very mineral flavours. Hints of lemon and biscuit flavours but still very tight and one dimensional. Will definitely improve after at least 5 to 7 years ageing. If served now decant 15 minutes before.
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  • 89p

“Pol Roger’s 1996 Winston Churchill is fabulous. One of the most expressive, complete 1996s today, the Winston Churchill is in a great spot. Butter, spice, almond and lemon oil notes meld together effortlessly in the glass. In 1996, the Winston Churchill is a clear overachiever. Best of all, it remains reasonably priced vis-à-vis its peers.”

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  • 95p

The tenth vintage of Pol's prestige cuvée (1975 was the first).
Very sturdy, powerful and dry. Savoury again and with the green streak of this high-acid vintage, which Pol assessed as having 'the hallmarks of a Churchill vintage. Early comparisons were drawn with 1955.' More youthful than the 1999.
Drink2016
–2044
 
17.5 +

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  • 92p
Deep golden colour. Overt, rich red fruit, honey and dry cake nose. Lovely coffee, very fluffy, generous, voluptuos, mouthfilling, concentrated and long palate. Not veruy much develop,emt over the last 2 years. Energetic and lovely. Sulphuric, fresh, tropical and long. But still going up.
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  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Epernay, Champagne

Other wines from this producer

Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Blancs Vinothèque

Brut Réserve

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Vinothèque

Pol Roger Vinothèque

Pol Roger vintage

Pol Roger vintage rosé

Pure

Reserve de Wermacht

Rich

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