The 2008 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill continues to stand out as the finest rendition of this bottling released in the last 10 years. Just beginning to enter its early drinking window, it wafts from the glass with aromas of ripe apple, confit citrus and mirabelle plum mingled with notions of sweet spices, honeycomb, dried fruits and crème brûlée. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's layered and complete, with a racy spine of acidity and a long, penetrating finish.

Released in October of last year, Pol Roger's 2008 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of waxy citrus rind, dried white flowers, freshly baked bread, iodine and honeyed yellow apple. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, powerful and vinous, with a deep and multidimensional core, broad structural shoulders and considerable concentration, girdled by tangy acids and displaying a youthfully frothy but incipiently fine mousse. The finish is long and intense. This is a terrific rendition of this reliably superb cuvée and well worth seeking out.

I love the balance between weight and agility in this wine with a dense and compact palate. Yet, there’s brightness and creaminess that melts into the glass. Lots of brioche, pie crust and strawberry tart. Serious balancing act here. Drinkable, but better with a few years of age.

This lovely, elegant version is more about restraint and finesse than power, caressing the palate with a silky mousse and a finely woven range of ripe Asian pear, biscuit and star fruit flavors, accented by elderflower, ground ginger and almond skin notes. Lightly mouthwatering, expanding on the chalk-tinged finish. Drink now through 2033. AN

Sourced in grand cru vineyards and blending Pinot Noir with Chardonnay, Pol Roger's 2008 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill displays an intense straw-yellow/white-golden color and opens with a beautifully deep, fresh, concentrated and beautifully aromatic bouquet of perfectly ripe tropical fruits, refreshing lemons, very fine vanilla and brioche aromas. The attack on the palate is fresh and finessed, and in the following seconds, the 2008 reveals great airiness, precision, purity and intensity with a firm, persistent structure in the long, refreshing, perfectly balanced and mouthwateringly salty finish. The 2008 Winston Churchill is a highly complex yet focused and vitalizing prestige cuvée of great, great finesse, chalky expression and exciting elegance. It already drinks great but also indicates immense aging potential. It's most likely one of the finest of this century and one of the greatest Churchills of modern times. Tasted from lot L82002894D in July 2018. Disgorgement date unknown. The wine will be released in the second half of this year.

The 2008 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is one of the most reticent and tightly wound wines of the vintage. To be sure, all the 2008s offer tremendous brightness and punch, but most are also a bit more approachable in the early going. The 2008 Churchill is totally closed in on itself at present. Vibrant floral, citrus and saline notes add an attractive upper register to a core of persistent Pinot-inflected fruit as the wine gradually opens up. The 2008 is a total knock-out, but I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle anytime soon.

The 2008 today is still firm and taut, starting to put on some of the weight and volume that this wine often carries, yet remaining defined by the vintage’s natural tension. There’s even a touch of herbal, green-toned coolness here, with dried pear and nutmeg spiciness meeting creamy ageing richness and a developing umami savour. Lightly grippy, energetic and yet slightly inscrutable at present, this remains a vintage to hold for at least another five years in magnum. Tasted from magnum.

Magnum. Compared with the 2013, 2012 and 2009, this is the most closed. Smoke and toast, yes, but the primary fruit is restrained and taut. Dry, almost tart finish. I might have assumed this was a much younger vintage. Just very slow to evolve, perhaps? (RH)