Champagne of the Week: Pol Roger

The favorite of Winston Churchill (after whom the Champagne house named its prestige cuvée), Pol Roger makes some of the most venerated and sought after bubblies on the planet. I was forcefully reminded of this the other day upon tasting its vintage offering from 1998--a fabulous wine bringing together notes of apple, orange peel, toast, oyster shell and spice. A notch in complexity and finesse above more common NV Brut-style wines, this is a good example why we seek out vintage Champagne for special occasions. You can find it at BevMo, where it's pretty expensive, but you can also order it online from elsewhere in the country and save considerable money.