2015 Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs

Very alluring perfume. And then a charmer with real lift, if not density. Strong lemon flavours and persistence. (JR)

Coming from all the Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, the 2015 Champagne Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs has a bright silver/yellow appearance and needs a second to open in the glass and reveal notes of fresh pear, candied lime, white flowers, and fresh bread dough. Medium-bodied, it fills the palate and has a broader mouthfeel but remains in check, with a light chalky mouthfeel and pithy fresh citrus, which is characteristic of the savoriness of the vintage. It has a clean and mouthwatering finish. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. 7 grams per liter dosage. 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.) This year they completed a new facility for packaging and shipping that 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 of refinement in the mousse without shying away from power and structure across the range.

So much bread dough on the nose, together with green-apple and pear undertones that follow through to a full body with soft, creamy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Subtle and polished. Drink now.