Tasting Notes: On the nose, the champagne is dominated by white flowers, green apple, brioche and a trace of minerality. On the palate there are notes of stone fruits, a certain nuttiness and a hint of honey supporting the freshness of the acidity. UK stock receives an additional 6 months post-disgorgement ageing so it is ready to drink upon release but cellaring for a few years will reveal greater depths. The definitive house-style, composed from 30 still base wines drawn from at least two vintages, and the three varieties of Champagne, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier blended in equal portions. The Pinot Noir comes from the villages of the Montagne de Reims and contributes body and character; the Chardonnay comes from Epernay itself and the Côte des Blancs and provides lightness and elegance; the Pinot Meunier comes from the Vallée de la Marne and provides youthfulness and vigour. Grape Variety: 33% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay and 33% Pinot Meunier Dosage – 10 g/l Serving: The aperitif champagne par excellence but one which has sufficient backbone to be drunk with fish and even spicy dishes. Background Information: Pol Roger, a Champenois from Aÿ, founded his champagne house in Epernay in 1849. Over the next 50 years, until his death in 1899, he built his business into one of the most respected in Champagne and, in particular, forged strong trade links with Britain. The founder was succeeded by his sons, Maurice and Georges, who changed their names to Pol-Roger by deed poll and, thereafter, by a further three generations of his direct descendants. To this day the company remains small, family-owned, fiercely independent and unrivalled in its reputation for quality Pol Roger own 87 hectares of prime vineyard sites spread over the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de Ia Marme, the Vallée d’Epernay and the Côte des Blancs. This supply is supplemented by grapes purchased on long-term contracts with growers based on the best sites in the region. Total production at Pol Roger is in the region of 1.5 million bottles per annum, making them one of the smaller of the Grandes Marques. The cellars extend some 7 kilometres beneath the streets of Epernay and are carved out of the local chalk over three levels, the deepest known as the ‘cave de prise de mousse’ at 33m below street level. As the name suggests this is where the wine undergoes its secondary fermentation in bottle. This deep cellar is at 9°or less, rather than a normal cellar temperature of 11-12°, thus prolonging this fermentation. They are amongst the coolest and deepest cellars in the region, a factor which contributes to the famously fine bubbles in Pol Roger’s champagnes.