Pol Roger Brut NV seems to be one of the more appreciated NV Champagnes out there, by all the wine writers anyways. I obtained a bottle a year ago, and decided to open it on New Year's Eve.I think the best way to communicate my thoughts on this wine is with a bit of context.
I (and my friends) drink a lot of sparking wine, and I've been wondering lately if my palate is really sensitive enough to tell the difference between actual Champagne (produced in Champagne) and other sparkling wines. I even hosted a tasting to get to the bottom of this, and it was inconclusive, perhaps because of the (high) quality of the non-Champagne sparkling wines we tasted.
Well after tasting this Pol Roger, and then following it up with Cloudy Bay Pelorus NV (a high quality New Zealand sparkler) I can definitely say yes, I can tell the difference. The difference was like night and day. The Pol Roger was rich, nutty and smooth, and it made the Pelorus seem watery, rough, and unsophisticated. I've had Pelorus a few times before, and while I wasn't mad about it, I thought it was OK. I certainly wouldn't have described it as I just did. All of this leads me to conclude that Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV is a darned good non-vintage Champagne.
Unfortunately you are not going to find this in the discount shelves at the end of the supermarket aisles. It goes for around £30 a bottle. I'd say if you wanted to splash out this is a good a bottle as any to buy.
Brut Reserve NV
Widely available
~£30
4/5
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment