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Sir Winston Churchill 2018

Pol Roger, Champagne, France

Pol Roger
Champagne France
  • 99
    Points
  • The 476 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 5 Pros of
    5 recommend
    this wine
285 99
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    396

  • Producer ranking ?

    4

  • Decanting time

    15 min

  • When to drink

    now to 2040

  • Food Pairing

    Seafood, Salads, ...›

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

Autumn and winter proved gloomy and exceptionally wet. Cold set in during February with some snowfall and, finally, sunshine. From April to June, sunshine and temperatures exceeded the averages, triggering very rapid vegetative growth. Chardonnay flowering occurred around May 30, pinot noir around June 2, and meunier around June 3, roughly 10 days ahead of the ten-year average. July and August maintained summer conditions. The vines progressed...

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Vintage 2018

CHAMPAGNE: With record rainfall in winter, many hours of sunshine in spring and summer and the earliest harvest on record, the 2018 harvest in Champagne was truly unique. Its prematurity, abundant volume, ripeness and wholesomeness have left many growers singing its praises to the harvest. After a wet winter, budburst took place in April, from which time growth was accelerated. The exceptional conditions led to vigorous vegetative growth and a...

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Average Bottle Price

2026
210€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

The 2018 bottling represents the 21st vintage release of this legendary prestige cuvée since its inaugural 1975 vintage. True to the preferences of Sir Winston himself, the exact blend is a closely guarded family secret, though it heavily favors old-vine Grand Cru Pinot Noir for structure, vinous depth, and robust character, balanced by Grand Cru Chardonnay. It was disgorged with a precise 7 g/L dosage after extensive maturation in Pol Roger’s famously cold, deep Epernay cellars.


The 2018 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is a towering triumph of impeccable harmony and aristocratic class, behaving like a beautifully tailored, custom suit. While captures the innate, generous fruitiness of the warm 2018 harvest, it is remarkably distinguished by a vibrant, driving energy and a chiseled focus that surpasses many other releases of the vintage. In the glass, it presents an alluring, mid-yellow-gold color with warm straw reflections, beautifully animated by an ultra-fine, velvety, and persistent mousse. 


The bouquet is sophisticated, highly delineated, and exceptionally open-knit upon pouring. It leads with an expressive, fragrant array of ripe white peach, baked pear, and candied tangerine peel, effortlessly intertwined with subtle top notes of white flowers, mint, and a delicate dusting of white pepper. As it breathes, it reveals its complex, classic autolytic lineage—unveiling deep secondary layers of freshly baked brioche, roasted hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and raw walnuts, grounded by a clean, flinty, and oyster-shell reduction.

On the palate, the wine delivers a striking, broad-shouldered presence with an ample, vinous mid-palate texture that caresses the mouth. The dominant Pinot Noir component brings structural weight and savory depth, flooding the palate with dark black fruit oils, chocolate cherries, and ripe plums. However, any solar heaviness is completely countered by an incredibly firm, vibrant spine of chalky acidity that imparts breathtaking velocity and linear grace. Taut yet approachable, it glides seamlessly into a monumental, mineral-drenched finish. The finale is exceptionally long, leaving a mouthwatering impression of graphite, spice, and a crisp, saline mineral persistence. 

Drinking Window:

Unlike some historic vintages of Churchill that can require decades to shed their formidable shell, the 2018 version is a beautifully airy and delightfully approachable "slow starter" that is already giving immense pleasure today. It is highly rewarding to open now with brief aeration, but its flawless phenolic density and vibrant acid frame guarantee it will reward collectors handsomely over the next two to three decades. Peak drinking window: 2026–2050+


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  • 98p

A grand, authoritative prestige cuvée crafted as a fitting tribute to Pol Roger’s most famous client and admirer. Traditionally composed of a closely guarded blend dominated by robust Grand Cru Pinot Noir (from the Montagne de Reims and Aÿ) backed by Grand Cru Chardonnay (from the Côte des Blancs), this edition encapsulates Sir Winston’s famous preference for "robustness, full-bodied character, and relative maturity." In the solar 2018 vintage, it achieves an exceptional balance of majestic power, vinous weight, and impeccable structural focus.


The nose opens with an inviting, deeply complex bouquet of yellow orchard fruit, poached pear, dried apricotin, and candied lemon peel, seamlessly unfolding into rich, aristocratic autolytic layers of toasted brioche, fresh butter, roasted hazelnut, acacia honey, and a touch of subtle baking spice. On the palate, the entry is broad, muscular, and expansive, supported by an ultra-fine, silky mousse. The naturally warm and generous core of 2018 fruit is effortlessly structured by a vibrant acid backbone and a deep, chalk-laden mineral drive that gives the wine exceptional tension and length. The finish is remarkably persistent, tapering off with lingering notes of bitter orange marmalade, toasted almond, and a mouthwatering saline snap. A monumental, cellar-worthy release designed for multi-decade aging.


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  • 97p
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Information

Origin

Epernay, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Excellent

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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