Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2004

The flagship 2004 Brut Sir Winston Churchill is creamy, ample and highly expressive, but it is also a bit more forward than I expected for the vintage. Apricot jam, honey, spice, smoke, brioche and lovely hints of toastiness all add to the wine's considerable appeal, while there is no shortage of density or volume. All that said, the wine's balance is not as fine as I had hoped it would be. Perhaps a bit more time in bottle will do the trick. To be sure, the 2004 Churchill is more advanced than most other tête de cuvées in this vintage.

Tasted blind. Quite spicy on the nose and just a little bready. Quite a bit of grip on the palate, firm, almost chewy but rounded with creamy texture. Crisp acidity and fabulous intensity. Powerful and more red fruited than the previous wine (which turned out to be the 1999 from bottle). My guess: 1999 bottle.

An intense golden-yellow color dresses the Pol Roger prestige cuvée 2004 Sir Winston Churchill, which opens with a clear, deep, dense, ripe, fresh, pure and elegant bouquet of matured apples, apricots and lemon flavors along with exciting spicy flavors. Although this Brut is already more than 11-years-old, it is dew-fresh and still developing--slowly. This Champagne is highly complex and well structured on the palate, with grapefruit flavors; it is a full-bodied and intense, yet very firm, persistent, fresh and very elegant assemblage of unnamed Grand Cru Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. It reveals a very long and complex, powerful but stimulating finish, and obviously, an eternal youth. The finish is powerful and stringent, and reveals a great, great aging potential. The wine is somewhat restrained and too compact at the moment though, and should benefit from a longer bottle aging.