What Is Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill? History, Taste, and Origins

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is the house’s prestige vintage Champagne, made from Grand Cru Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as a tribute to Winston Churchill and the powerful, mature style of Champagne he preferred.

The name makes the history impossible to miss, but there is an important detail behind it. Churchill never drank the Champagne that now carries his name. He was a devoted Pol Roger drinker, and his friendship with the Pol-Roger family became part of the house’s story. The namesake cuvée came later as a tribute to his taste.

That explains much of what you find in the glass today. This is not meant to be a light, delicate Champagne. It has body, depth, fine bubbles, and enough freshness to hold everything together. Pol Roger makes it only from selected harvests and gives it more time in the cellar before release. For special bottles like this, champagne sabers can also bring a sense of ceremony to the opening itself. 

At a Glance

• Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is Pol Roger’s prestige vintage Champagne.

• It is made only in selected harvests and in small quantities.

• Pinot Noir leads the blend, with Chardonnay adding finesse and freshness.

• The fruit comes from Grand Cru vineyards that were already under vine during Churchill’s lifetime.

• Its longer cellar aging helps create the mature, full-bodied style associated with the cuvée.

What Is Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill?

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill sits at the top of the Pol Roger Champagne range. It is both a vintage Champagne and a prestige cuvée.

A vintage Champagne comes from one declared harvest rather than a blend of wines from several harvests. Pol Roger does not make Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill every time grapes are picked. The house reserves it for harvests that can produce the depth, structure, and longevity expected from the wine.

The term “prestige cuvée” refers to a producer’s flagship wine. In this case, Pol Roger uses tightly selected fruit, limited production, and extended cellar maturation to create a Champagne with more weight and maturity than its standard bottlings. That style has also helped establish Pol Roger among the top Champagne houses. 

Its identity comes from that combination rather than from the famous name alone. The Churchill connection gives the wine its story, but the quality of the fruit and the way the Champagne is made are what give it lasting appeal.

How Winston Churchill Became Part of the Pol Roger Story

Churchill’s connection with Pol Roger began long before the house created a wine in his honor. Records show that he had been buying the Champagne for decades before he became close to the family.

His friendship with Odette Pol-Roger began after they met at the British Embassy in Paris following the city’s liberation. British ambassador Alfred Duff Cooper introduced them, and the two remained close for the rest of Churchill’s life.

Champagne was clearly part of that relationship. Odette regularly sent Churchill bottles, and he was so fond of the family and its wine that he named one of his racehorses Pol Roger. He also gave the Pol Roger home in Épernay one of his best-known compliments, calling it the world’s most drinkable address.

When Churchill died, Pol Roger marked his passing by placing a black border around labels destined for Britain. The house later created Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill as a permanent tribute. Its first release was presented at Blenheim Palace, Churchill’s birthplace.

The distinction is worth keeping clear. Churchill drank Pol Roger Champagne, but not the prestige cuvée named after him. The house developed that wine after his death, using the characteristics he liked in Champagne as its stylistic guide.

Pol Roger describes those preferences as firm structure, full body, and relative maturity. Those three traits still define the cuvée better than any single tasting note.

What Goes Into Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill and How Is It Made?

Pol Roger makes the cuvée exclusively from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in Grand Cru vineyards. Pinot Noir dominates the blend, although the exact proportions remain a family secret.

The grape choices have clear purposes. Pinot Noir gives the wine its broad frame, firmness, and deeper fruit character. Chardonnay brings finesse and a fresher edge. Together, they create the balance the house wants: enough weight to feel powerful, but enough lift to prevent that power from turning heavy.

The vineyard selection carries a historical link as well. Pol Roger states that the Grand Cru sites used for the cuvée were already under vine during Churchill’s lifetime. The wine is also made in very small quantities and only from harvests the house considers suitable.

After harvest, the grapes are pressed gently. The juice goes through two settling stages before fermentation. Pol Roger keeps individual grape varieties and villages separate during a slow, cool fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. The wines complete malolactic fermentation before the final blend is assembled.

The second fermentation then happens in the bottle, deep beneath Épernay. Pol Roger’s maturation cellars sit about thirty-three meters below street level, where cool, damp conditions allow the Champagne to develop slowly.

That slow pace matters. The wine gains texture and mature aromas without losing the freshness it needs to stay balanced.

Pol Roger also continues to riddle the bottles by hand. Riddling gradually moves the yeast sediment toward the bottle neck so it can be removed during disgorgement. Hand riddling is now unusual for Champagne produced at this scale, but the house retains the traditional process for the cuvée.

The Champagne stays in the cellar longer than Pol Roger’s other vintage bottlings and reaches the market later. That choice directly reflects Churchill’s taste for Champagne with some maturity already showing when it was poured.

There are also Vinothèque releases that spend even longer in the house’s cellars before riddling and disgorgement. They show how far the style can develop when given more time.

What Does Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Taste Like?

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill tastes dry, rich, and full-bodied, with fine bubbles, ripe fruit, citrus, brioche, spice, and deeper nutty or savory notes as it matures.

One of the first things you may notice is its weight. This is not a Champagne that disappears quickly after a burst of bubbles. It has a broad palate and enough structure to feel more like a serious wine at the dinner table.

A younger bottle can show citrus, fresh fruit, white flowers, and spice. Depending on the release, you may also find apricot, red fruit, or a slightly mineral quality.

Give it some time in the glass and the richer aromas become easier to pick out. Brioche, pastry, toasted almond, dried fruit, honey, cocoa, and hazelnut are all associated with different releases of the cuvée.

The bubbles tend to feel fine rather than aggressive. That softer mousse works well with the wine’s broader texture. Acidity then comes through on the finish, keeping the richer fruit and pastry flavors from lingering too heavily.

Age changes the experience further. Fresh citrus and fruit can shift toward dried or candied fruit, while toast may move toward nuts, honey, cocoa, tobacco, and earthy notes.

Not every bottle will show the same aromas. Vintage conditions, bottle age, storage, serving temperature, and even how long the wine has been open can change what you notice.

That is part of the appeal. Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill has a recognizable shape without tasting identical from one release to another. The common thread is the contrast between breadth and freshness.

Can Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Age?

Yes. Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is made with long bottle development in mind, and properly stored bottles can continue to change for many years.

Whether you should wait depends on what you enjoy drinking.

If you prefer fresher fruit, sharper citrus, and more tension, you may enjoy the Champagne relatively young. If you prefer toast, nuts, honey, dried fruit, and more savory aromas, extra bottle age can move the wine in that direction.

If you plan to keep a bottle for later, proper Champagne storage matters just as much as time. Keep it somewhere cool and dark with a stable temperature. Repeated heat and temperature swings can cause a fine Champagne to mature faster than intended. 

Serving temperature also affects how much you taste. Very cold Champagne can seem tighter and less aromatic. With a wine this layered, a few minutes in the glass can make a noticeable difference.

A tulip-shaped Champagne glass works well because it keeps the bubbles while giving the aromas more space than a narrow flute. A good white-wine glass can also work, especially with an older bottle. Holding a Champagne glass by the stem also helps keep the wine from warming too quickly in your hand.

Let the Champagne warm slightly as you drink it. Citrus and fruit may appear first, followed by bread, nuts, spice, and other mature notes as the wine opens.

For bottles that have received extended cellar maturation before release, Pol Roger’s Vinothèque program offers another look at what time can do to the cuvée. These wines spend more than a decade in the house’s cellars before riddling and disgorgement.

What Food Pairs Well With Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill?

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill has enough body to move beyond the usual Champagne-and-appetizer role.

Aged cheeses such as Comté and Parmesan work well because salt and savory flavors meet the wine’s richness, while its acidity keeps the pairing fresh.

Roast poultry is another easy match. Crisp chicken skin, roasted flavors, and buttery sauces sit comfortably beside the Champagne’s toast and brioche notes.

Seafood can work too, especially richer choices such as lobster and scallops. Their sweetness can bring out the wine’s ripe fruit, while the bubbles and acidity clean up the finish.

Mushroom dishes are worth considering with bottles that have begun to show more earthy, nutty, or savory character. Morels, in particular, can match the mature side of the wine very well.

You do not need an elaborate menu. The best pairings give the Champagne enough room to be noticed. Very sweet food or dishes dominated by extreme heat can make its finer details harder to taste.

Can Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill be aged?

Yes. Its structure, acidity, fruit concentration, and long cellar maturation give it strong aging ability. Younger bottles show more freshness and fruit, while mature bottles can develop toast, nuts, honey, dried fruit, and savory flavors. Pol Roger also releases Vinothèque versions that receive extended cellar maturation.

At California Champagne Sabers, we believe a Champagne with this much history deserves more than an ordinary opening. We create champagne sabers for people who want the first moment of the bottle to feel as memorable as what follows. When you bring out a bottle of Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill for a celebration, make the opening part of the occasion. Choose a California Champagne Saber and turn the first pour into a moment your guests will remember.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill?

It is Pol Roger’s prestige vintage Champagne, made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in Grand Cru vineyards. The house produces it only in selected harvests and in limited quantities as a tribute to Winston Churchill and the mature, full-bodied Champagne style he liked.

Did Winston Churchill drink Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill?

No. Churchill was a long-time Pol Roger drinker, but the cuvée named after him was created after his death. The Champagne was designed to reflect the fuller, more mature style he preferred.

What grapes are in Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill?

Pol Roger uses Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards. Pinot Noir makes up the larger share, while Chardonnay adds finesse and freshness. The exact blend is kept private.

What does Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill taste like?

The Champagne is dry, full-bodied, and layered. Common notes include citrus, ripe or dried fruit, brioche, pastry, nuts, honey, spice, and cocoa. Older bottles can develop deeper savory and earthy aromas.

Can Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill be aged?

Yes. Its structure, acidity, fruit concentration, and long cellar maturation give it strong aging ability. Younger bottles show more freshness and fruit, while mature bottles can develop toast, nuts, honey, dried fruit, and savory flavors.

Why is Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill so expensive?

Its price reflects limited production, Grand Cru fruit, selective vintage production, long cellar aging, hand riddling, and its position as Pol Roger’s prestige cuvée. Older and rarer releases can command even higher prices because availability becomes more limited over time.