Beautiful aromas of red apple, tangerines, sweet spices and brioche follow through to a full, dense palate. It is showing bold flavours of dried-red fruits, quince and almonds achieving a majestic style combining power and creamy texture. What is the most striking about the wine is the fantastic contrast between opulence and freshness thanks to a refined acidity running through the palate and a fantastic mineral finish. Plenty to offer now but it will gain a lot from long term aging. Truly superb!

Pol Roger's 2009 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill has turned out very well, offering up a demonstrative bouquet of golden apples, clear honey, hazelnuts and fresh pastry that's still quite primary. Full-bodied, fleshy and textural, it's deep and concentrated, with an ample core of fruit, ripe but racy acids, a pinpoint mousse and a long, penetrating finish. This is an expressive, deceptively immediate rendition of this bottling, yet despite its charm out of the gates, readers willing to wait at least five years will be rewarded with significant additional complexity.

See score and full tasting note at champagneclub.com.

Bright and lustrous with playful bubbles and a soft mousse, the wine is immediately beguiling, seductive and more approachable and charming than its immediate forebear (2008). The nose waltzes through the Viennese patisserie and then into the orchard, where red apples rejoin citric rigour and draw the taster in. The ripeness of the vintage translates into a rich, creamy texture, with energy and warmth all underwritten by a dominant but not overly domineering Pinot Noir, its savoury notes destined to take control after this first effervescent flush of youth. The finish is pure and long. A forward and confident SWC, and one to enjoy in relative youth.

Magnum. Showing distinct maturity here, with really lovely cooked fruit, bread and white chocolate. Very saline and savoury, a big contrast to the 2012 which has so much richness. Toast, light body, tingly acid. A more angular style on the palate, but beautifully balanced. (RH)