Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier/Chardonnay
150cl * Vegan & Organic * 12.5% ABV * Champagne, France
Pol Roger is best known as Prime Minister Winston Churchill's preferred Champagne. Churchill liked to drink his Pol Roger by the pint (a size no longer made, sadly, but roughly equivalent to 50cl), and it is reckoned that in the last 10 years of his life, more than 500 cases of the stuff passed through his cellars. Of her father's fondness for Pol Roger, Churchill's daughter, Lady Soames, once said, "I saw him many times the better for it, but never the worse." During the War, Germans even placed spies in Pol Roger in order to trace Churchill's planned movements around the UK by the shipments of Champagne for him!
Pol Roger is particularly noted for its fine mousse. Although no one quite understands how and why the bubbles come out like this, it is widely believed to be due to their cellars being the deepest in Champagne, and hence the coldest, the small bubbles being the result of the cool aging for four years. Bright fruit and warm brioche notes come together in this impressively powerful fizz. Rich and yeasty, combining complexity, balance and distinction. Pair with smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels.