Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 2009

95+ pts Wine Advocate

Pol Roger's 2009 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill has turned out very well, offering up a demonstrative bouquet of golden apples, clear honey, hazelnuts and fresh pastry that's still quite primary. Full-bodied, fleshy and textural, it's deep and concentrated, with an ample core of fruit, ripe but racy acids, a pinpoint mousse and a long, penetrating finish. This is an expressive, deceptively immediate rendition of this bottling, yet despite its charm out of the gates, readers willing to wait at least five years will be rewarded with significant additional complexity.

95 pts Wine Spectator

A seamless Champagne, lithe with fresh, finely knit acidity, and showing beautiful integration, with a rich vein of smoky minerality underscoring flavors of black cherry, toast, preserved lemon and pickled ginger. There's power and focus here, but this bubbly highlights the grace and accessibility that 2009 can offer even on release. Drink now through 2034. 500 cases imported.

94 pts Vinous

The 2009 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is a heady, explosive Champagne. Ample and deep, the Churchill is so expressive today. Apricot, tangerine oil, mint, baked apple tart and spice all flesh out. I would give the 2009 at least a year or two in bottle, as it is a bit tight at this stage. Even so, time in the glass brings out a feeling of raw power that is impossible to miss.