PolRogerBlancdeBlancsCuveedeReserveVinotheque2002

Pol Roger was just nineteen when he founded his estate in 1849. Still a family-run enterprise, fifth generation Hubert de Billy is one of the descendants who manage the House today. With 89-hectares of vineyards supplying half of their grape requirements and illustrious premises containing immaculate facilities including pristinely polished stainless-steel tanks. Today they own 92 hectares of vineyards and its cellars in Epernay, just off the Avenue de Champagne run for 7.5 kms, 34 metres below the ground at a constant 9 Celsius.rrRemarkably, a small team of less than ten complete everything in the cellar by hand and Pol Roger boast four of the region’s remaining fifteen riddlers, who impressively turn over 60,000 bottles a day. Indeed, it is this style and their respect for tradition that initiated Sir Winston Churchill’s lifelong attachment to Pol Roger, who famously insisted: “In defeat I need it, in victory I deserve it.â€?Today, their prestige cuvée is named in honour of the great man.rrTo mark the 175th anniversary and the inauguration of the new winery, Pol Roger is presenting its new project,Vinothèque releases, “Disgorged at the same time as the first release of these wines, the bottles were then returned to mature further in the deepest Pol Roger cellars, situated 33m below street level and at a constant 9C throughout the year without being moved before their final release from the cellars. With these wines, our intention is to offer a fascinating new expression, combining power and freshness in perfect harmony. And we felt that there was simply no better place and conditions for completing this extra-aging than where they come from.â€?â€?Damien Cambres, Cellar MasterrrPol Roger Blanc de Blancs is made exclusively from the Grand Crus of the Côte des Blancs. The must undergoes two settlings, one at the press house immediately after pressing and another in Pol Roger’s famous stainless-steel tanks. Second fermentation takes place in the coolest Pol Roger cellars, thirty-three metres below ground level at temperatures of just 9°C, some 2-3°C cooler than the cellars of other producers. The cooler cellars slow down bottle fermentation, producing a champagne with finer bubbles, a characteristic for which these small production releases of Pol Roger are known for. The final blend is aged for nine years in the cellars before disgorgement and release.rrWeather: The 2002 vintage shaped up magnificently over the spring, with no significant frost and near-perfect flowering. Then followed a summer marked by long, sunny periods interspersed with regular cloudy and rainy spells. The vines were in good health and the dehydration of the grape berries helped them reach new heights of ripeness. Generally considered one of the best harvests in the last twenty years.rrTechnical Information:rVineyards: Twenty Cru Primarily Montagne de Reims & Côte des BlancsrGrape Varieties: 100% ChardonnayrLees Ageing: 10 yearsrDisgorged: March 2013rReleased: 2025rDosage: 8 g/lrDrink: Now to 2035+