1996 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill – $150 to $200, depending on location
The first time I tried Pol Roger’s Sir Winston Churchill was at the estate in Champagne. Alas, it was only a sip, but I remembered it well. The next time was at a trade tasting in San Francisco, and this time it was unlimited. I think I consumed a bottle over the few hours I was there. I have always loved Pol Roger’s non-vintage White Foil Champagne, but the Sir Winston Churchill’s creamy texture with hints of apple and white flowers and microscopic foamy bubbles is absolutely mouthwatering.
Sir Winston Churchill was known for his infamous collection of Pol Roger Champagne, especially throughout World War II. He was inextricably connected to it, in fact: his birth year (1874) was one of the most outstanding vintages Pol Roger ever had. During the war Churchill had cases loaded onto planes in foreign war zones, borrowing Napoleon’s saying for his justification: “In defeat I need it, in victory I deserve it”. He was afterward introduced to Odette Pol-Roger and they became fast friends. In 1984, in tribute to Sir Winston Churchill, Pol Roger introduced a cuvée meant to embody Churchill’s ideal Champagne.
Full of rich creaminess and fine texture, this is a Champagne that can be enjoyed any time from its release until decades after. The 1996 is a particularly good vintage, and will keep aging and developing complexity for at least 20 more years. I’m secretly hoping to find one in my stocking…
2007 Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux – around $10
There are few things better as an aperitif or spirit lifter than a glass of sparkling wine. A quest for an understanding of some of the best-known sparklers of Europe led me from Cava country near Barcelona to Champagne, driving the whole way. Part of this generally picturesque journey consists of a relatively drab hour slightly inland through Languedoc-Roussillon, a region in the south of France. Needing a place to stop for lunch, we pulled off the E15 into the small town of Sigean. A local market boasted some delicious cheese and charcuterie, fresh bread, and a very cheap bottle of Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux. We took our spoils to a nearby beach, opened the bottle (not expecting much), and were very happily surprised. Since this experience I have been a huge fan of the all-but-forgotten Blanquette de Limoux.
Blanquette de Limoux was the first sparkling wine in France’s history, long before Champagne came about. Limoux is a small area in the west of the Languedoc region at the foot of the Pyrenees, dominated by high altitudes and strong winds from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The climate here is perfect for ripening white grapes; the Benedictine Monks at the abbey in Saint-Hilaire capitalized on this fact and created the crisp, bright bubbly Blanquette de Limoux hundreds of years ago. Mauzac is the predominant grape, called Blanquette in the region (Occitan for “small white”) due to a white bloomy appearance of the skin. The wine tends to have a distinct green-apple-and-grass character, with a slight creaminess due to aging on lees. Drier versions have a slight citrus zest, while off-dry versions are almost reminiscent of a creamy baked apple pie.
Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux is a great holiday sparkler, especially with prices around $10 per bottle.
For the Robert Parker fans, “It is probably the least-known well-made sparkling wine of France…” “Made primarily from the Mauzac, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc grapes, the wines are qualitatively close to a high quality non-vintage Champagne at one-third the price.” It is always nice to pay a little homage to an original.
Sarah Trubnick, Sommelier
