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Pol Roger Champagne with Hubert de Billy
by Tom Cannavan, 1996This was a tutored tasting with Hubert de Billy, boss of and heir to the Pol Roger house. He talked very eloquently about the house and their philosophy and we were honoured to be the first people outside the company to taste pre-release bottles of the 1990 vintage champagne.These are very impressive wines. The '88 vintage and Winston Churchill were sublime. Pol Roger White foil non vintage - £21.99
Pale straw/gold. Yeasty on the nose with developing fruit and biscuit aroma. Very soft, luscious mousse and an overall fruity impression, baked apples and fine apple acidity in the finish. Very nice. Pol Roger Vintage Extra Dry 1988
Nice deeper gold colour. Very fresh on the nose, with lovely biscuity component and hints of green beans. Seems sweet on the palate, almost sherbety, yet round and full with beautiful grapefruit acidity and a harmonious, elegant finish. Great length with a lingering purity of fruit. Reserved and complex, without being austere. Possibly my favourite wine of the night. Excellent. Pol Roger Vintage Extra Dry 1989 - £30.49
Golden colour with a very distinctive caramel/butterscotch nose. A bit disappointing in the mouth: rather unexciting, with straightforward buttery, weighty fruit, but a tartness about the lemon acidity which lingers on the palate and rather spoils the finish. Not my cup of tea. Pol Roger Vintage Extra Dry 1990
A month before its press launch, so nice to get a sneak preview. Quite deep, golden colour. Round and buttery/biscuity nose and the sweetness of the dosage still evident. Nicely fruity, hints of dried apricots and warm, biscuit notes. Extremely rich, with soft, rolling apple and grapefruit acidity kicking in. Fine and long. Very good indeed. Pol Roger Vintage Blanc de Chardonnay 1988 - £38.99
Light straw colour. Buttery nose, a hint of green beans. Very fine bubbles. A touch of caramel on the nose too. Fine mousse, very floral, fruity character on the palate with lots of nice citrus acidity, but autolysis, soft, round, creamy palate which finishes fine and long. Lovely. Pol Roger Vintage Rosé 1988 - £35.99
Beautiful salmon pink, edging to ochre. Delicate, floral nose with nice strawberry fruit. Quite a serious wine, though rather hollow on the palate, with a bit of tannin, some good cherry fruit and moderate length. I didn't really enjoy this, though others did more than me. Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1986 - £64.99
Deeper golden yellow. Huge yeasty, leesy nose with notes of pears and burnt toast. Gorgeous, concentrated, sweet fruit on the palate. A big, soft wine, very luxurious, dense and toffeed. A lovely fat, sour acidity in the finish which lends a balance to the wine. Long, soft, pure, decadent. I'll drink this anytime. Superb.
