True to the house style, it has a sturdy backbone and is emblematic of a fantastic vintage champagne from Pol Roger. JEB DUNNUCK
A very elegant and silky vintage Champagne with a seamless harmony JAMES SUCKLING

Pol Roger is one of Champagne's historic houses. I have long admired the estate's Champagnes for their superb balance and gracefulness. ANTONIO GALLONI
These are substantial, mouthfilling wines, balancing a pinot-driven depth with an often exquisite refinement. Even the blanc de blancs seems to echo the other wines in the range in its richness and generosity, while being made entirely of (grand cru) chardonnay. What is perhaps most impressive about Pol Roger’s vintage wines is that while they definitely exhibit a distinct personality, adhering closely to the house’s style, they are also extremely transparent in regards to expressing vintage character. These are champagnes of renowned longevity, and stocking vintage Pol Roger away in the cellar is always a wise move. PETER LIEM, champagneguide.net.au
I love the entire range of the firm’s products…and I guarantee you that every sound bottle you drink will impart a life-enhancing experience of pure joy. RICHARD JUHLIN, 1000 Champagnes

Pol probably doesn’t need much of a wind up, I mean… it’s Pol, but here goes anyway. Bit of a long spiel about general Pol stuff, so feel free to just skip to ordering. Did you know Pol is still entirely family owned and run? Yeah, fifth generation fella is working his way up the chain now, currently having to learn all the elements of the business as he goes. 

Did you know Australia is the fourth largest consumer of Pol Roger in the world and they constantly have our flag flying, out front but also at every gate. I don’t get very patriotic but it does illicit a bit of a sense of achievement when you see that. Like “yeah, I personally earned that from all the Pol I have consumed over the decades”. Ha. 
Here is something else, they own a large portion of their vineyards. Why does that matter? Oh, it really does matter. Most of these large houses own few, if any, vineyards and simply purchase fruit from growers and they pay for yield. Pol works with their own vineyards, AND those that they purchased those vineyards from they pay to manage them and also secure fruit from adjacent Crus owned by those same people, to ensure quality of fruit and terroir. I can not tell you how rare that is in Champers. Or how special. 
Hand riddled? Yeah, every bottle. Even their basic NV. 

That’s normal though, right? Nope, not at all. Far from it. In fact I was properly shocked to find that out. I asked someone on a recent visit in the cellars to be honest and tell me what percentage was hand riddled “all of them” was the reply. I think I extended the visit by a good hour as we met with their chief riddler (great guy, but terrible batman villain, very forthcoming and straightforward with his answers) and spoke, at some length, about the intricacies of the procedure. It is a lot more in-depth than I realised, at a place like this. 
He explained that every little section of their 5km long cellars behaves differently and the wines there need to be treated subtly differently. After a weather event the air pressure often changes and this disturbs the sediment and so adjustments need to be made to the schedule. Apparently he dictates, to a degree, when bottling occurs. Try getting away with that at a house that has shareholders on the open market. 

There is only 10 full time riddlers left in Champagne, yeah, 10. That isn’t people who own small domaines and riddle some of their wines by hand, or even all their wines by hand. But people who do this full time, who apprentice and make this their career. Pol Roger employs half of them. 

It gets cooler, they also have them spread out over age groups, one in their 20s, one in their 30s etc etc until retirement age. To ensure there is never a loss in the knowledge so essential to their wines. Every bottle you drink was touched by one of these five fellows, many, many times. 

Pol only releases their vintage wines in years they believe the quality deserves a vintage bottling. That is something that has gone with the wind for many houses, accountants do not want to hear things like that. They do it all well. 
Anyway, that doesn’t tell you how off the charts this 16 Brut Vintage is, it’s just a nice story and helps contextualise what makes Pol Roger truly the greatest of the large houses, for me. 
The 2016 is beautifully classic Pol that delivers all the elegance and poise one expects from the house, with a truly vinous nature that strikes me as more Burgundian in many ways than Champagne often seems. There is fruit weight and power. Almost a little too much mineral drive, fortunately the lees and chalky, pithy feel help to buffer that. It is wildly long, vivid and clear as day, even with the noteworthy autolytic characters that add nuance, breadth and heft to the wine. 

It’s a great example of this iconic cuvee and, as good as it is now, will improve for a good decade or two in your cellar, should that be your bent. 
Of the range it’s the most versatile for the table too. There is a plethora of dishes that would suit a big, very big, glass of this wine. 

As I said, at the time I wrote this it is, to the best of my knowledge, the best price in Oz for the bottles. So, get in and grab some. The only bottle you will ever regret buying is the last one you drink. 

Cheers

Roscoe