Pol Roger 2015 Champagne is now in stock..
VINTAGE ACCORDING TO POL ROGER
Champagne’s geographical location engenders capricious weather. For this reason, since their foundation in 1849 Pol Roger has observed the tradition of not releasing a vintage-dated champagne unless the climatic conditions permit the production of grapes of outstanding ripeness. A vintage champagne must, above all else, be a balanced champagne. This balance depends on the right blend of healthy grapes, a good potential alcohol and correct acidity. The first criterion for declaring a vintage wine is its capacity to age. Devotees who have the patience to age their champagnes are rewarded with a more complex and richer wine.
THE STORY OF THE VINTAGE
The winter, with average temperatures for the ten-year period, was characterised by high levels of sunshine, notably above the normal range for February and March. Continuing in this vein, April was particularly warm, bringing on budburst in the middle of this month. Flowering took place in mid-June, typical when compared to recent years. From the end of May to 15 August, Champagne saw a significant run of hot, dry weather, leading to good ripening. Some spells of rain during the two to three weeks in the run-up to the harvest helped the fruit to plump out. But to ensure the best possible maturity, close attention was required to determine the date to begin the grape picking. The harvest spanned the period from 2 to 18 September. We recorded an average must potential of 10.4% vol with a total acidity of around 7.1 gH2SO4/L.
VINIFICATION AND MATURATION
The must undergoes two débourbages (settlings), one at the press house immediately after pressing and the second, a débourbage à froid, in stainless steel tanks at 6°C over a 24 hour period. A slow cool fermentation with the temperature kept under 18°C takes place in stainless steel, with each variety and each village kept separate until final blending. The wine undergoes a full malolactic fermentation. Secondary fermentation takes place in bottle at 9°C in the deepest Pol Roger cellars (33 metres below street level) where the wine is kept until it undergoes remuage (riddling) by hand, a rarity in Champagne nowadays. The very fine and persistent mousse for which Pol Roger is renowned owes much to these deep, cool and damp cellars.
THE « CUVÉE »
The 2015 Brut Vintage from Champagne Pol Roger is made from the traditional house vintage blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from 20 Grands and Premiers crus vineyards in the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs. Produced only in limited quantities the Brut Vintage 2015 has been aged in our deep cellars before being disgorged and released onto the market.
TASTING NOTES
The Brut Vintage 2015 displays a lovely golden hue with silver highlights. The subtle first nose opens with notes of fleshy ethereal hints of rose petals. Expressive and full of freshness, the bouquet is reminiscent of patisserie, pastries and dried nuts. It then evolves to reveal aromas of honey and apple jelly. The palate is round and elegant. A slight zesty quality sets of the notes of brioche, patisserie and toast, combined with liquorice and dried nuts. The silky texture is accompanied by a lovely lingering acidity right through to the finish. The 2015 vintage brings us a warm and very fine champagne.
TECHNICAL DATA
• Dosage:7gr/l • Availability:75cl bottle, 150 cl magnum, 300cl jeroboam