Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 2013 (750ML)

98 WE / 97 JS / 97 VM / 97 JD / 96 WA / 95 DE / 95 WS / 19 JR

Although ready to drink, this very fine Champagne has plenty of aging to go. With its rich Pinot Noir and ripe fruits, it is generous while also fully textured. Complex and balanced, mature fruit and toast working together, this is a great wine. — Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

The 2013 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is fabulous. Rich and remarkably pure, the 2013 is superexpressive right out of the gate. Bright saline notes cut through a core of lemon confit, dried flowers, apricot, tangerine peel, mint and sage. As compelling as the 2013 is, it really needs more time to open a bit. There is a feeling of transparency here that is so alluring. The 2013 is a terrific example of power with no excess weight in Champagne. I loved it. Disgorged: July 2021. Dosage is 7 grams per liter.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Complex and subtle aromas of dried ginger, pie crust, cooked apple and cooked peach follow through to a full body with ginseng, toasted bread and dried apple. Very fine and multidimensional. Great wine. Drink now.-James Suckling

The 2013 Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Brut, composed of 95% Pinot Noir, is the 20th release of this cuvée, and this version is robust, classic, and noble in its expression. The color is a medium straw, and the aromas are complex and compelling, with smoke, graham biscuit, currant, and orange marmalade. It has immediate appeal and charm. The palate is structured, yet refreshing, and savory with grip and an energetic citrus that doesn’t seem to taper. Drink 2024-2044.-Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck

The 2013 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill continues to show beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, mandarin oil, freshly baked bread and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, it's deep and vinous, with a racy spine of an acidity and a tensile but relatively charming profile that means it's already approachable. In style, the 2013 is in contrast with the broader, fleshier 2012, but the two vintages are very close in ultimate quality.-William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

In March 2022, Pol Roger released the 2013 vintage of its iconic cuvée, Sir Winston Churchill. First launched at Blenheim Palace in 1984 with the 1975 vintage (which was released in magnums only, a decade after the death of the great man), this 2013 is the 20th release. Pol Roger does not divulge the blends of its cuvées, but we know that this one is predominantly composed of Pinot Noir, plus a touch of Chardonnay, both sourced from grands crus villages. We also know the dosage: 7 g/L. While the 2013 vintage was catastrophic in France, Champagne is doing well, especially the Chardonnays. Budbreak was later than usual, and the weather was cool and rainy until June. Fortunately, the summer was hot, sunny and dry until the first days of September. Rain returned on September 10 and brought significant attacks of grey rot, which affected the vineyards. The 2013 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill has an elegant yet refined bouquet of lemon, orchard fruit and spring flowers, intertwined with pure notes of brioche and pastry. The palate is crystalline, with racy acids and an elegant, penetrating finish. There is a lively touch of mint. This is a particularly delicate and tense iteration of the cuvée. Very charming.- Yohan Castaing, Decanter

An expressive Champagne, with ripe and juicy pineapple, cassis and apricot fruit flavors married to notes of brioche, saline, lemon curd and honeysuckle. Backed by a spine of fresh acidity, this is well-cut and harmonious, with the fine and creamy mousse carrying the flavor range on the lasting finish. Drink now through 2035. 600 cases imported.-Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator

Laurent d'Harcourt of Pol Roger explained that this cuvée was originally launched in 1984 with the 1975 vintage 'not as a prestige cuvée but as a tribute cuvée' (Churchill was long close to the Pol-Roger family). The 2013 vintage was launched at a lively dinner for 50 crammed into London's Clove Club soon after it was awarded a second Michelin star and it was easy to see why Pol wanted to make a fuss of this latest vintage. It was described as 'the last late vintage' and was picked two to three weeks later than usual, after some mid-September rain just after Patrice Noyelle retired as president. d'Harcourt told me that Noyelle was so influenced by the reputation of 2013 in Burgundy (where his family owned Clos de Tart) that he was against making a Winston Churchill 2013.
It's a (still youthful) wine with wonderful tension, freshness and real drive. This should make a sumptuous wine when it sheds its most youthful acidity. Great density and still to unfurl completely.-Jancis Robinson