NV Pol Roger Pure

The NV Champagne Cuvée Pure Extra Brut has a pale silver/yellow to medium yellow hue and is medium-bodied, with a powdery texture that showcases delicate notes of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Elegant, with a pillowy mousse, it was disgorged in November 2024. Based on 2020, it retains good focus, and in this vintage it feels more like Chardonnay. It’s a simpler wine in the range, but a nice one to drink over the coming 6-7 years. It carries zero dosage. They used to call this Brut Nature, then changed the name to Extra Brut, but it will return to Brut Nature in the future. The wines for this report were tasted both at the estate with chef de cave Damien Cambres and in my office in New York. Pol Roger is a sixth-generation, family-owned business founded in 1849 that is based in Epernay and solely focused on Champagne. Damien Cambres replaced former chef de cave Dominique Petit in 2018. Since 2011, they have fully moved to stainless steel fermentation and aging. They house 9.5 kilometers of cellars that are notably deep at 33 meters underground and employ four full-time riddlers to turn the bottles and carefully collect sediment from them. (Only 11 exist in the region today.) This year, they completed a new facility for packaging and shipping that rests on the footprint of the historical site of the original cellars, which disastrously collapsed in 1900, destroying 1.5 million bottles. They own 92 hectares today and produce approximately 1.7 million bottles annually. Pol Roger is a Pinot Noir-based house that focuses on the art of blending. The wines tend to strike a balance of refinement in the mousse without shying away from power and structure across the range.

The NV Extra Brut Pure—Pol Roger’s non-dosé expression—is crafted from equal parts Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. It opens with a delicate bouquet of early-spring white blossoms, mingling with notes of nashi pear and lemon zest, layered over subtle nuances of brioche. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, taut and incisive, complemented by a pillowy mousse and racy acidity. The finish is bone-dry and chalky, underscoring its intended purity.

The NV Champagne Pure Extra Brut cuvée was launched in 2007 and is the same blend as the Brut Reserve, as it is also equal parts Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Meunier. It pours a bright straw color and offers up aromas of citrus zest, bread dough, and fresh flowers. Medium-bodied, it has a beautiful chalky texture, with a light salty flourish and a more citrus-toned palate, although it’s lovely and approachable, with a refined and focused mousse. For my taste, it takes a slight edge over the standard Brut Reserve, as it feels more precise. It is going to benefit from another year in bottle, then drink it over the following 15 years. Disgorged Fall 2022. Pol Roger is a sixth-generation family-owned business founded in 1849 that is solely focused on Champagne based in Epernay. Damien Cambres replaced former chef de cave Dominique Petit in 2018. Since 2011, they have fully moved to stainless steel fermentation and aging. They house 9.5 kilometers of cellars that are notably deep at 33 meters underground and employ four full-time riddlers to turn the bottles and carefully collect sediment from them. (Only 11 exist in the region today.) This year they completed a new facility for packaging and shipping that rests on the footprint of the historical site of the original cellars, which disastrously collapsed in 1900, destroying 1.5 million bottles. In August of 2022, Christian de Billy passed away at the age of 93. He was the great grandson of Pol Roger and was instrumental in the creation and launch of several cuvées, including the Rosé in 1961, the Blanc de Blancs vintage cuvée in 1965, and the cuvée Sir Winston Churchill in 1984 with the 1975 vintage. They own 92 hectares today and produce approximately 1.7 million bottles annually. Pol Roger is a Pinot Noir-based house that focuses on the art of blending. The wines tend to strike a balance of refinement in the mousse without shying away from power and structure across the range.