Reviews & Scores
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. - JR
JR19
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. - JS
JS97
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. - VM
VM97
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. - WA
WA96