Pol Roger 2000
Intense gold with persistent fine mousse. The nose opens with floral rose notes and warms to toasted brioche. The mouth is full and fresh with spicy floral notes (wallflower or nasturtium), underpinned with candied yellow fruit. The finish is long and dry. This is a classy mid-term vintage from Pol Roger that will continue to improve for at least 5 years in bottle and in magnum for 10-12 years.
Made in limited quantity, the Brut Vintage follows the traditional Pol Roger formula of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from up to 20 Grand and Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, the Grand Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. The musts underwent 2 cold settlings before fermentation in stainless steel to preserve the fruit characteristics of the wine. The wine was then blended and transferred to bottle for its second fermentation and aging in the cellars.
Pol Roger reserve their declarations of a vintage for years in which all the climatic, viticultural and winemaking components come together for the making of the finest champagne. The vintage blend is traditionally 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from Grand and Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. The 1999 season was characterised by warmth and rain which produced a record breaking harvest of healthy grapes.
Grape Variety:
60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay
Dosage - 10.5 g/l
Serving:
Typically this has the power to match fine dining and would work well with lobster or other crustaceans as well as rich or pungent or spicy dishes.
Background Information:
Pol Roger, a Champenois from Aÿ, founded his champagne house in Epemay 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'Epemay 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.
