2004 Pol Roger Cuvee Winston Churchill

The 2004 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Vinothèque is superb. It offers a captivating mix of power, freshness and energy, all the qualities that can make aged Champagne so thrilling. Apricot, chamomile, white flowers, baked apple tart and butter build effortlessly as the 2004 gains intensity through the mid-palate. This explodes beautifully on the finish.

Disgorged in 2014. Dosage 9 g/l. Tasted blind. Very deep orangey straw. Lots of tension and autolysis on the nose and then it’s so introvert that it almost disappears on the palate. But there is so much that’s exclusive to champagne to enjoy here. Tingling! Slightly bitter. Interesting bitter-orange notes. Quite distinctive. (JR)

The 2004 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is a charming, beautifully balanced wine in its prime today. Offering up aromas of golden orchard fruit, honeycomb, freshly baked bread, iodine, spices and candied peel, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and charming, with a pillowy mousse, lively acids and a long, saline, delicately caramel-inflected finish. While this vintage has long lived in the shadow of 2002, this is an excellent Churchill in its own right.