Pol Roger Vintage Brut 2018

I like the berry fruit aromas mingling with bread crust, grapefruit and lemon pastries. It's lively on the palate, with excellent structure and a bright wild-berry character. Clean and nicely focused. 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay.

Pol Roger's 2018 vintage is showing many of the fine facets of the year upon release already, open and giving in style with roasted pear, ripe apricot and grapefruit skin, lightly creamy and developing richness in pecan and brown pastry. The Pinot Noir leads, relatively structured for the year while showing hints of the smoke and spice to come with further age. A wine that flows with some of the ease and charm of 2018, but that promises a fairly early – if rewarding – unfolding in bottle.

From a year marked by above-average maturity—at least as of this writing—and a relatively early harvest that began on August 20th, Pol Roger’s 2018 Brut Vintage, disgorged in March 2024 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, offers a generous and expressive interpretation of this cuvée. Aromatically, it unfurls from the glass with notes of pear, peach, orange zest and pastry, with a touch of exotic fruit. On the palate, it is full-bodied, muscular and textural, with a core of rich, sweet fruit supported by succulent yet vibrant acidity, culminating in a long, enveloping finish. Stylistically, the 2018 vintage aligns more closely with the gourmand profiles of 2015 and 2012 rather than the more tensile 2016 or 2013. The cuvée is composed of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay.

The 2018 Brut Vintage is absolutely delicious, just as it was last year. Floral and citrus notes give the 2018 lovely aromatic lift to play off its mid-weight personality. This is a classy, polished Vintage Champagne marked by notable brightness. Airy, elegant and silky in feel, the 2018 is an absolute delight.

The nose is lean yet focused, with fresh white peach and citrus zest layered over intense floral depth and framed by powdery chalk. The palate is linear and refreshing, delicate, with stony minerality and subtle citrus oils. Very clean and precise, it is enjoyable now.

This sleek, mineral-driven Champagne has a lacy mousse and a smoky underpinning, with Meyer lemon peel–infused acidity driving an appealing range of flavors, including nectarine, macerated raspberry, saffron and crystallized honey, plus a touch of toasted brioche. Long and lively on the finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2035.

The 2018 Champagne Vintage Brut nose is 60% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay. Expressive but also restrained at this early tasting, it has notes of pear and hints of pastry cream, with a chalky texture and a slightly savory feel on the finish. The palate is longer, more structured, and focused, yet compact, with sweet and bitter citrus notes of lemon zest. It’s pretty and elegant.