Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, 2018
The product of a warm and generous growing season, this is initially coiled then broadens with bruised apple, peach skin, lemon peel and conference pear, followed by almond, wild strawberry, cherry pit and a fine lemon thyme herbal note. The characteristic Pol bakery-scented flavours emerge latterly, with a dash of vanilla, cream and crisp buttery croissant; such notes will no doubt develop with more time in bottle. Generous, concentrated and clearly in its infancy, the flavours really build with time and linger long on the palate, with touches of noble bitter cherry, citrus pith and tiny red berries. It is deep and concentrated while being fine boned and incredibly layered and detailed, suggesting much more to come from this luminous charmer.
critic reviews
The 2018 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is supremely classy and polished, just as it was last year. Crushed rocks, slate, mint, chalk and dried herbs all race through to the intensely vibrant, mineral-drenched finish. This is so resonant, so sculpted. I would give the 2018 at least a few years in bottle, as recent tastings suggest it is entering a period of dormancy.
Disgorged in June 2024 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, Pol Rogers 2018 Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill introduces itself with aromas of ripe pear, candied tangerine peel and peach mingling with dried fruit. On the palate, it is full-bodied, vinous and broad-shouldered, with a rich core of fruit and an ample, textural mid-palate, underpinned by ripe yet vibrant acidity. The wine concludes with a long, enveloping finish. Reflective of the warm growing season with a late-August harvest, this is a giving Sir Winston Churchillundeniably in the more muscular register, with ample gourmand flesh and a presently blocky density that will reward some patience.