20-vintage vertical of Pol Roger’s Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, back to 1979 – Tuesday 8th October
We like to think that our events schedule provides a regular line-up of fairly stellar wines. But every so often, an event comes along from an altogether different stratosphere. And this is one of those occasions…
It is with great excitement that we can confirm details of a vertical tasting of 20 vintages of Pol Roger’s prestige Champagne, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, going back to 1979, all from magnum, and introduced by great-great-grandson of the house’s founder, Hubert de Billy.
Champagne Pol Roger boasts a long history in the UK, which was the core market for its original Brut Champagne (accorded a Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria in 1877) and today still makes up about 20% of its business. Nowhere is this connection more vividly seen than in the house’s prestige cuvée, introduced in 1975 in honour of Britain’s most famous prime minister.
Churchill was a keen patron of Pol Roger, with his first recorded invoice from the house dating to 1908. The bond was cemented in 1945 when, during a lunch given by the British ambassador to France after the liberation of Paris, Churchill met and struck up a friendship with Odette Pol-Roger. She went on to send him a case of the house’s vintage release each year on his birthday until his death in 1965, an occasion that saw Pol Roger add black-bordered labels to all bottles destined for the UK market.
A decade later, the house named its prestige cuvée after him, producing it in the robust and mature style he favoured. While the exact blend remains under wraps, the wine is composed solely of grapes from grand-cru vineyards; Pinot Noir predominates, providing structure and depth while Chardonnay contributes elegance and finesse. It is generally aged for around a decade before release, in line with Churchill’s appreciation for older wines.
Pol Roger, which remains family-owned, this year marks its 175th anniversary. We are delighted to celebrate the occasion in style.
The wines we will be tasting (all from magnum, other than where stated):
1979 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1982 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1985 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1986 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1988 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill (from jeroboam)
1990 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1993 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1995 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1996 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1998 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
1999 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2000 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2002 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2004 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2006 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2008 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2009 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2012 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2013 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
2015 Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
Tuesday 8th October
St. James’s Room
18:30 – Welcome reception
19:00 – Masterclass begins
20:00 – Break for canapés to be served
21:30 – Masterclass ends
Please note, tickets are refundable for cancellations up to 5 days before the event. Cancellations must be made in writing to [email protected]. Any cancellations within 5 days of the event are non-refundable unless 67 Pall Mall resells the ticket to another Member. This is only possible when the event is sold out and there is a waiting list.
Please note that once your order is placed, your ticket status will display as “processing” until after the event, when your member account is then charged. You will receive an email confirmation after ordering your tickets, stating that your order is being processed – please take this as full confirmation that your booking has been finalised. For any questions, please reach out to [email protected].
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