Champagne Pol Roger – the most British of Champagnes Absa | Corporate and Investment Banking > Insights and Events > Champagne Pol Roger – the most British of Champagnes SHARE Interview with Derek Kilpin, Managing Director – Great Domaines Champagne Pol Roger is a wonderfully elegant, discreet brand to represent. Yes, becoming an agent for the house 17 years ago turned Great Domaines from a hobby business into a formal one. It’s such a classy and understated brand and we’re honoured to be the agents. They are very close to our hearts. Whenever we visit, it almost feels like we’re going to someone's home. It's one of the smaller Grand Marques and perhaps that accounts for this family feel. There is a distinguished history behind the brand. Pol Roger has been producing Champagne in Epernay since 1894 and the descendants of the founder continue to run the house today – that’s six generations of legacy and tradition. They have remained fiercely independent and maintain a sterling reputation for superior wines. They own many of the vineyards from which they source the grapes in Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs and Vallée de la Marne – some of the best vineyards in the region – allowing for control of production and quality. They use 25% of their reserve wine to achieve the complexity and refinement typical of the house style. They have some of the deepest cellars in Champagne – 33 metres below the surface – where the wine is stored at a consistently low temperature of 9.5 degrees. The Champagne is allowed to mature slowly and in keeping with traditional methods. They are one of the few houses that still employs master riddlers – a dying art. In fact, I found them harder to spot than a leopard in the bush! At last count we were informed that there were around 10 riddlers left in Champagne and they seemed to disappear in the labyrinth of cellars! Why is it known as a “very British Champagne”? Pol Roger is the gentlemen's Champagne (Jean-Paul Kauffman). Everything about the brand speaks to impeccable taste, sophistication and refinement. The house has always had strong ties to the UK market – the very first bottle of Pol Roger was sold not in France but on the other side of the Channel! In keeping with this history, Champagne Pol Roger was first granted the Royal Warrant as purveyors of Champagne to the British Royal Family in 1877 and they are current holders. It is a Champagne fit for kings and princes – the white foil Brut Reserve Non-Vintage was served from magnums at the wedding reception of His Royal Highness Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, to Catherine Middleton and again at the wedding of His Royal Highness Prince Harry of Wales to Meghan Markle. Then there are the ties to Sir Winston Churchill. What is the story behind the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill? This is their prestige cuvée named in his honour. Churchill was a lifelong friend and admirer of Odette Pol Roger (he even named a winning racehorse after her!) and he was a huge fan of the house style of Champagne. There are many mythical claims that Winston Churchill drank 42,000 bottles in his lifetime – that’s two a day since his first Pol Roger invoice in 1908! The blend is a closely guarded secret but is made to reflect Churchill’s preference for more Pinot Noir-based, structured and gastronomic vintage Champagnes. The cuvée is only made in exceptional vintages, and the grapes are selected only from Grand Cru vineyards. The house releases the Champagne later than their other vintages, again in reference to Churchill’s appreciation for older wines. Churchill described Pol Roger’s headquarters as “the world’s most drinkable address”. It was fitting then that the house succeeded in having the street on which they are situated in Epernay, renamed 1 Rue Winston Churchill. Pol Roger Champagne is extremely special, and understated. It is well worth a try and I believe that once tasted, it will become a favourite, as it did with Churchill. “Remember gentlemen, it's not just France we are fighting for, it's Champagne!” – Sir Winston Churchill https://cib.absa.africa/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/file_example_MP3_700KB.mp3 Related Articles CHAMPAGNE Timeless Elegance: De Venoge Champagne As we raise our glasses to celebrate the festive season, it seems fitting to delve into the world of a renowned Champagne house that has stood the test of time with grace and sophistication. De Venoge stands for excellence, heritage, and nearly two centuries of crafting fine Champagne. Read more CHAMPAGNE Champagne Boizel – “One family, one house, one tradition” Interview with David Rieu, Export Manager Champagne Boizel. Welcome to a rainy Johannesburg! I believe you have just got off the plane from France? 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