The 2013 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is fabulous. Rich and remarkably pure, the 2013 is super- expressive 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.

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. AF

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. Pol Roger is a sixth-generation family-owned business founded in 1849 that is solely focused on Champagne based in Epernay. Damien Cambres replaced former chef de cave Dominique Petit in 2018. Since 2011, they have fully moved to stainless steel fermentation and aging. They house 9.5 kilometers of cellars that are notably deep at 33 meters underground and employ four full-time riddlers to turn the bottles and carefully collect sediment from them (only 11 exist in the region today). A new building is under construction for disgorgement, packaging, and shipping that will be completed in 2023. The site rests on the footprint of the historical site of the original cellars, which disastrously collapsed in 1900, destroying 1.5 million bottles. In August of 2022, Christian de Billy passed away at the age of 93. He was the great grandson of Pol Roger and was instrumental in the creation and launch of several cuvées, including the Rosé in 1961, the Blanc de Blancs vintage cuvée in 1965, and the cuvée Sir Winston Churchill in 1984 with the 1975 vintage. They own 92 hectares today and produce approximately 1.7 million bottles annually. Pol Roger is a Pinot Noir-based house that focuses on the art of blending. The wines tend to strike a balance with refinement in the mousse without shying away from its power and structure across the range.

The 2013 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill has turned out especially well, wafting from the glass with aromas of orange oil, confit lemon and crisp golden orchard fruit, complemented by subtle hints of brioche and clear honey. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and seamless, with a deep core of fruit, bright acids and a beautifully refined mousse, this is an elegant, penetrating rendition of Churchill that stands out for its charm and effortlessness. WK

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.

The 20th edition of this cuvée is heavily Pinot Noir dominant with around 20% Chardonnay added, from grand cru villages only. There's an interesting dichotomy here, between the decadent orange cream richness of the style and the innate tension and coolness of the vintage. Plenty of soft dried apricot and berry pastries, enriched with coffee grounds, praline and amaretto. Broad, yet it narrows with a pleasing lemon marmalade tang on the finish. Complex and dynamic, this requires a little patience in the cellar. Disgorged: July 2021.

Magnum. Beautifully fresh and youthful in style. Tight and lemon-driven at first. Sherbet and citrus and plenty of non-fruit character – steely, chalky, mineral indeed. With a bit of air, the toastiness and yeastiness emerges, adding that sensation of walking past an open bakery door. Saline finish, open and rich and delicious. (RH)