Pol Roger - Extra Cuvée de Reserve brut vintage 1982

Pol Roger - Extra Cuvée de Reserve Brut Vintage 1982

A report

Pol Roger's Extra Cuvée de Reserve is one of the house's most traditional champagnes. As a vintage year, it is only produced in particularly qualified years and embodies the style of the house in its purest form: Precision, elegance and remarkable longevity. The 1982 vintage is considered exceptional in Champagne, characterised by early flowering and a hot, dry summer that produced grapes with a high degree of ripeness and complex acidity.

After more than four decades, this champagne presents itself in the bottle in a deep, golden yellow colour with amber reflections. The effervescence is fine but now restrained - a typical sign of advanced age, where the carbon dioxide has gently integrated into the texture.

The nose is exceptionally complex and develops continuously in the glass. Initially, ripe, almost stewed fruit aromas of yellow fruits such as mirabelle plums and ripe pears dominate, mingling with notes of dried apricots, almonds and fine marzipan. With increasing aeration, secondary and tertiary flavours emerge: acacia honey, freshly baked brioche, roasted almonds as well as fine spicy nuances of saffron and light caramel. The oxidative note is present but extremely elegant - it gives the wine depth without masking its freshness.

On the palate, Pol Roger's 198 vintage is impressively dense and at the same time very refined. The proportion of reserve wines from the Grand Cru vineyards (mainly Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Chardonnay from Avize and Cramant) gives it structure. The attack is soft and supple, followed by a lively but integrated acidity that gives the wine a long, mineral finish. The texture is creamy, the carbonic acid is almost mousse-like in its finesse. The finish is long with flavours of candied lemon peel, walnut and a hint of chalk.

This champagne is at the peak of its maturity and will be able to maintain this state for a few more years due to the high acidity structure and the quality of the vintage. It should be enjoyed at a drinking temperature of around 12 to 13 degrees Celsius, ideally from a large white wine glass, to allow the complex flavours to fully develop.

As an accompaniment to food, this cuvée calls for components that are as rich as they are fine. Classic combinations include roasted porcini mushrooms with truffles, smoked salmon with caviar or mature hard cheeses such as Comté. In fine dining, it harmonises perfectly with veal kidneys or lobster in a light Americaine sauce.

Conclusion: The Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Reserve Brut Vintage 1982 is a champagne of great class that demonstrates the House's ability to maintain a balance of freshness, complexity and tertiary richness even after decades. A wine for connoisseurs that rewards patience and conveys an authentic impression of the style of Champagne in the early 1980s.