Pol Roger 2018 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Brut Champagne 750ml

Odette Pol Roger met Winston Churchill at a party at the British Embassy in Paris in 1945, and the friendship that followed became one of the most genuinely storied relationships in the history of Champagne. Churchill, by legend, consumed some 42,000 bottles of Pol Roger across his lifetime, once declaring that "in victory I deserve it, and in defeat I need it." When he died in 1965, the house responded not with a eulogy but with a wine: in 1984, Pol Roger released the first vintage of a new prestige cuvée named directly in his honor, built from the 1975 harvest and crafted specifically around the qualities Churchill himself prized in Champagne — robustness, full-bodied character, and genuine maturity. Today, a statue of Churchill stands permanently in the Pol Roger cellars, unveiled to mark the house's 175th anniversary, a tribute that goes well beyond marketing into something closer to genuine institutional memory.

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is made only in the very best vintages — 2018 is just the 21st release since that inaugural 1975 bottling — and it is always held back and released later than any of Pol Roger's other vintage-dated wines, a deliberate nod to Churchill's own well-documented preference for older Champagne. The blend remains a closely guarded family secret, though Pinot Noir predominates (in some vintages reportedly reaching as much as 95%), sourced exclusively from Grand Cru vineyards that were already under vine during Churchill's own lifetime, with Chardonnay contributing finesse and lift. The 2018 growing season was warm, with a late-August harvest, producing what Wine.com's own tasting note calls "a giving Sir Winston Churchill — undeniably in the more muscular register, with ample gourmand flesh and a presently blocky density that will reward some patience."

The critical response has been close to unanimous. Wine Spectator awarded 97 Points. James Suckling and Vinous's Antonio Galloni each awarded 96 Points, with Galloni comparing the wine to "a finely tailored suit" — "impeccable harmony, class and attention to detail," integrating "a firmly structured spine of acidity with flavors of ripe plum, candied lemon peel, lightly toasted hazelnut, brioche and chamomile," the palate "caressed" by a "plushly creamy mousse," concluding "long on the finish, with mineral, graphite and spice hints... hard to stop sipping now but should reward those who wait with even greater expression in years to come." Jancis Robinson scored it 18 out of 20. Disgorged in June 2024 with a dosage of 7 grams per liter, this is Champagne built the way Churchill himself liked it: patient, powerful, and fully mature by the time it finally reaches the glass.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Champagne Pol Roger was founded in 1849 in Aÿ before relocating to Epernay in 1851, and remains today one of the very few grande marque Champagne houses still family-owned. The house was granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria in 1877, and its connection to Britain deepened considerably in the 20th century through Winston Churchill's own devotion to the brand — a relationship that began in earnest when Odette Pol Roger met the wartime Prime Minister at a party at the British Embassy in Paris in 1945.

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill was created in his honor, first released in 1984 from the 1975 vintage — a full decade after Churchill's death in 1965 — and crafted specifically to embody the qualities he valued most in Champagne: robustness, full-bodied structure, and genuine maturity. The cuvée is produced only in exceptional vintages and is deliberately released later than any of Pol Roger's other vintage Champagnes, honoring Churchill's own preference for aged wine. The blend is a closely guarded family secret, though Pinot Noir clearly predominates — reportedly reaching as much as 95% in some vintages — providing structure and breadth, while Chardonnay contributes elegance and finesse. Every grape used comes exclusively from Grand Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards that were already under vine during Churchill's own lifetime.

Production follows Pol Roger's exacting traditional method: the must undergoes two separate débourbages (settlings) — one immediately after pressing, the second a cold settling in stainless steel at 6°C over 24 hours — followed by a slow, cool fermentation kept under 18°C, with each grape variety and each village fermented entirely separately before final blending. Secondary fermentation takes place in bottle at 9°C in Pol Roger's deepest cellars, 33 meters below street level in Epernay, where the wine remains until riddling (remuage) — performed entirely by hand, a genuine rarity in modern Champagne production. The 2018 vintage followed a warm growing season with a late-August harvest, producing a fuller, more muscular expression of the cuvée. Disgorged in June 2024, with a dosage of 7 grams per liter.

Critics Reviews

Wine Spectator — 97 Points:
"Like a finely tailored suit, this exhibits impeccable harmony, class and attention to detail. Integrates a firmly structured spine of acidity with flavors of ripe plum, candied lemon peel, lightly toasted hazelnut, brioche and chamomile, caressing the palate with the plush, creamy mousse. Long on the finish, with mineral, graphite and spice hints, this is hard to stop sipping now but should reward those who wait with even greater expression in years to come. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2045."

James Suckling — 96 Points:
"This has complex aromas of croissant, acacia flowers, raw walnuts, flint and oyster shells. Very sleek, tight and structured on the palate, showing elegance and chalky minerality underneath. Seamless, classy finish with a deliciously dry, lightly phenolic citrus pith character coming through. Grand cru pinot noir with some chardonnay. Disgorged June 2024. Drink now or hold."

Antonio Galloni, Vinous — 96 Points:
"Like a finely tailored suit, this exhibits impeccable harmony, class and attention to detail. It integrates a firmly structured spine of acidity with flavors of ripe plum, candied lemon peel, lightly toasted hazelnut, brioche and chamomile, caressing the palate with the plushly creamy mousse. Long on the finish, with mineral, graphite and spice hints, this is hard to stop sipping now but should reward those who wait with even greater expression in years to come. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2045."

Jancis Robinson — 18 Points (out of 20)

Decanter 95 Points:
"After the 2015, the 2018 Sir Winston Churchill represents a notable return to form for this cuvée, finding an impressive level of depth and savour in a vintage sometimes marked by lack of intensity. The polish of ripe grand cru Pinot Noir shines through here, with plenty of black plum, blackberry and dark honey aromas, with brown butter and pastry richness lurking. There's certainly some fruit maturity here, and this may be a Sir Winston with a little more early-drinking charm than some, but it's a fine and true rendition of this cuvée's generous spirit." 

Tasting Profile

Nose
Mid-yellow-gold, alluring in color with a fine, persistent stream of bubbles reflecting the wine's extended time in Pol Roger's famously cool cellars. Ripe pear, candied tangerine peel, and peach lead, mingling with dried fruit. Croissant, acacia flowers, and raw walnuts add layered complexity, alongside flint and oyster shells — a genuinely multifaceted bouquet. Ripe plum, candied lemon peel, lightly toasted hazelnut, brioche, and chamomile round out an aromatic profile of real depth and refinement.

Palate
Full-bodied, vinous, and broad-shouldered, with a rich core of fruit and an ample, textural mid-palate underpinned by ripe yet vibrant acidity. The 2018's warm growing season shows through in a giving, muscular register — gourmand flesh and a presently blocky density that will soften and integrate further with time. A firmly structured spine of acidity carries the fruit, caressed by a plushly creamy mousse. Sleek, tight, and structured, with elegance and chalky minerality underneath, and a deliciously dry, lightly phenolic citrus pith character coming through.

Finish
Long and enveloping, with mineral, graphite, and spice hints carrying the close. Seamless and classy — hard to stop sipping now, in Antonio Galloni's own words, but built to reward those with the patience to let it develop even greater expression over the coming decades. Drink now through 2045.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Roast chicken or capon
• Lobster and shellfish
• Foie gras
• Aged hard cheeses — Comté, Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Celebratory occasions, on its own