Home › Wine Notes › Pol Roger
Pol Roger Rosé Vintage 2009
Sparkling roséFrance2009
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-03-30 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
3.0/5 — lower than Vivino's 4.3 average · world avg price US$124 · A 2009 rosé from Churchill's Champagne house.
Rosé 2009: Wine-Searcher aggregate of 9 critic reviews, 91. Same year's Brut Vintage 2009: Wine-Searcher aggregate of 10 critic reviews, 92; four 93-point critic scores on Vivino (2018), publication names not shown.
Market note: The 2009 rosé's world average is US$124 / 750ml; the same year's Brut Vintage is US$111 (92) (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). On the same basis Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is US$335 (95) and the non-vintage Brut Rosé US$118. Vivino data refers to the logged entry, the Brut Vintage.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“맛있는 로제를 아직 못 먹은건지 나랑 안 맞는건지 화이트 샴페인에 비해 좋은걸 아직 모르겠다. 오렌지 와인 먹었을 때도 그렇고 레드랑 블렌딩이 장점을 모르겠고 믹스된 느낌만 강해서 뭔가 완성도가 떨어지는 느낌이다. 바삭거리는 느낌은 좋았으나 아로마 팔렛 전부 잘 모르겠다. …”
Show original
“toast brioche yeast biscuit 맛있는 로제를 아직 못 먹은건지 나랑 안맞는건지 화이트 샴페인에 비해 좋은걸 아직 모르겠다. 오렌지 와인 먹었을때도 그렇고 레드랑 블렌딩이 장점을 모르겠고 믹스된 느낌만 강해서 뭔가 완성도가 떨어지는 느낌이다. 바삭거리는 느낌은 좋았으나 아로마 팔렛 전부 잘 모르겠다.. […]”
What I learned today: there were bottles Dad hadn't figured out yet either.
Friday. The customers came early. When I finally caught my breath a little after nine, Master Seo set a tall flute in front of me. The bubbles he poured from the cloth-wrapped bottle were pale pink. Minjae, in the next seat, slid his own glass forward, but Master Seo poured only one.
On the nose: toast, brioche, yeast, biscuit — the bread-in-the-oven smell I always get from Champagne. Behind it, a small note of strawberry. In the mouth the bubbles broke crisply. Out of that crispness, an evening opened.
Twenty-one, spring, a Monday night when the days were slowly getting longer, the kitchen table. There was a lace mat Mum had laid on the table. Dad set a glass of rising pink bubbles in front of me and stared into his own for a long time. He took a sip and tilted his head, then another sip and tilted it again. I laughed because I liked the bubbles popping in my mouth, but Dad didn't laugh. His face said he didn't yet know what was good about it. I don't know the name of the bottle.
I opened the notebook to that date. He wrote that he didn't know if he just hadn't had a good rosé yet, or if it simply didn't suit him. He couldn't see the point of blending in red, it felt "only strongly mixed", and somehow less complete. He did like the crispness. Three stars. The name attached to the note is the same year's Pol Roger Brut Vintage, but the label in the photo Dad took that day says "Rosé". I wrote the two names side by side and stuck on the Post-it. Maybe, when he logged it, Dad tapped the white bottle from the same year. Every word in the note is about the pink bottle.
Master Seo said this house makes its rosé by blending a little red wine made from Pinot Noir into the same year's white Champagne base. That, he said, is exactly what Dad meant by "blending with red". Then he told us that the British prime minister Churchill drank this house's Champagne for decades, and that when he died, the house put black borders on the labels of bottles going to Britain. At that part, Minjae jumped to his feet.
After closing, I wrote the name on the tenth page of the new notebook. Two lines this time. What I learned today: there were bottles Dad hadn't figured out yet either. And writing down "I don't know" is also what a notebook is for.
What this wine is
Pol Roger opened in Épernay in 1849 and released its first Champagne in 1853. It is still a family company run by the founder's descendants, and it held a Royal Warrant as Champagne supplier to Queen Elizabeth II. Its vintage wines rest for years in cellars 33 metres below the streets of Épernay.
The name that explains this house is Winston Churchill. Churchill drank Pol Roger from at least 1908 until his death. After meeting Odette Pol-Roger of the founding family at a British Embassy party in Paris in 1944, the two became lifelong friends, and every year Odette sent him a case of vintage Champagne for his birthday. Churchill named one of his favourite racehorses 'Pol Roger'. When he died in 1965, Pol Roger put black borders on the labels of bottles bound for Britain, and it made the 1975 vintage into the 'Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill', first released in 1984.
The Rosé Vintage is built on the same year's Brut Vintage. The 2009 Brut Vintage is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from 20 grand and premier cru vineyards, aged eight years in the cellars. For the rosé, about 15% still red wine made from Pinot Noir is blended in before bottling and the second fermentation to give it colour. Champagne is one of the places where making rosé this way, by blending in red, is allowed.
What the world says
First, a note on the record. I logged this bottle on Vivino as the same year's 'Brut Vintage 2009', but the label in the photo I took that day says 'Rosé', and everything in my note is about rosé. So the Vivino figures in this piece are for the Brut Vintage, and the Wine-Searcher figures are for the rosé.
The 2009 rosé has a 91 aggregate from nine critic reviews on Wine-Searcher. Jancis Robinson's note on the same page describes a pale strawberry colour and plenty of fruit, more blustering than fine — a food wine. The same year's Brut Vintage aggregates 92 from ten reviews, with 93-point critic scores on Vivino.
On Vivino the 2009 Brut Vintage averages 4.3 from 2,725 ratings, and the label as a whole 4.3 from 27,802. The 22 vintages from 1982 to 2018 with 30+ ratings all sit between 4.2 and 4.5. Brioche and toast lead the aromas (1,875 mentions), then apple and pear (1,697) and lemon and grapefruit (1,372). Structure: acidity 4.4, fizziness 4.3, intensity 4.0.
"Great tension and structure on this 2009 Pol Roger" — Vivino review, Dec 2018, 4.4
How I drank it
March 30, 2020, 3 stars. I wrote down toast, brioche, yeast and biscuit.
The note was a confession about rosé. I wrote that I didn't know whether I just hadn't had a good rosé yet or whether it simply didn't suit me — compared with white Champagne, I still couldn't see what was good about it. As with orange wine, I couldn't see the benefit of blending with red; it only felt strongly mixed, and less complete. I liked the crispness, but I didn't really get the aromas or the palate.
Looking at it now, 'blending with red' pinned this bottle exactly. Pol Roger's rosé is made by blending about 15% red wine into a white Champagne base, and that blending is precisely what I snagged on. My 3 is a long way from Wine-Searcher's 91 critic aggregate and from Vivino's 4.3 for the same year's Brut Vintage. The gap says less about this bottle than about where I stood with rosé back then.
Where this wine shows up
Churchill met Odette Pol-Roger at the British Embassy in Paris in 1944, they became lifelong friends, and he named a favourite racehorse 'Pol Roger'. When Churchill died in 1965, Pol Roger put black borders on labels bound for Britain, and it made the 1975 vintage into the 'Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill'.
Wikipedia — Pol Roger · International Churchill Society — Favourite tipples
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2009 vintage rating distribution (2725 ratings, average 4.3)
| 5★ | 506 (19%) | |
| 4★ | 2012 (74%) | |
| 3★ | 186 (7%) | |
| 2★ | 12 (0%) | |
| 1★ | 9 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Bread & nuts (non-oak) | 1875 | brioche 772 · toast 488 · biscuit 182 · almond 147 · nutty 123 |
| Stone fruit & apple | 1697 | apple 680 · green apple 293 · peach 170 · pear 164 · yellow apple 114 |
| Citrus | 1372 | citrus 604 · lemon 348 · grapefruit 134 · lime 90 · orange 43 |
| Earth & mineral | 837 | honey 289 · minerals 256 · stone 91 · chalk 48 · smoke 32 |
| Yeast & cream | 740 | cream 387 · yeast 248 · cheese 34 · lemon curd 19 · toasted bread 11 |
Structure: Acidity 4.4/5 · Intensity 4.0/5 · Fizziness 4.3/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 27802 ratings, average 4.3)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 4.2 | 51 |
| 1988 | 4.5 | 66 |
| 1990 | 4.4 | 143 |
| 1993 | 4.2 | 83 |
| 1995 | 4.4 | 95 |
| 1996 | 4.4 | 158 |
| 1998 | 4.5 | 214 |
| 1999 | 4.4 | 283 |
| 2000 | 4.4 | 690 |
| 2002 | 4.3 | 1267 |
| 2004 | 4.3 | 1831 |
| 2006 | 4.4 | 2131 |
| 2008 | 4.3 | 2806 |
| 2009 | 4.3 | 2725 |
| 2010 | 4.2 | 106 |
| 2011 | 4.3 | 36 |
| 2012 | 4.4 | 3462 |
| 2013 | 4.4 | 2876 |
| 2014 | 4.3 | 42 |
| 2015 | 4.3 | 2752 |
| 2016 | 4.3 | 1090 |
| 2018 | 4.3 | 1222 |
Other wines Father scored 3.0 →
Read next
Swipe for more →
Similar styleLouis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
France · Champagne★★★★★
Similar styleBillecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne NV
France · Champagne★★★★½
Similar styleCharles Clément, Brut Rosé (NV)
France · Champagne★★★★☆
Similar styleMoët & Chandon, Impérial Rosé Brut NV
France★★★½☆
Highly rated by FatherJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherClos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley)
United States · Napa★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherChâteau La Nerthe Cuvée des Cadettes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996
France · Rhône★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherChâteau La Lagune Haut-Médoc 1970
France · Bordeaux★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherEgly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 'Les Crayères' Ambonnay
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherLucien Le Moine Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Hauts Doix 2016
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherDomaine Coche-Dury Meursault 2013
France · Burgundy★★★★★More from Champagne, France
Swipe for more →
ChampagneJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
★★★★★ChampagneLouis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
★★★★★ChampagneBillecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne NV
★★★★½ChampagneEgly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru 'Les Crayères' Ambonnay
★★★★★
ChampagneGimonnet Gonet Millésime Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut 2011
★★★★☆
ChampagneJacques Selosse Initial Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru (Avize)
★★★★½
ChampagnePascal Doquet Cœur de Terroir Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru 2006
★★★★½ChampagneCharles Clément, Brut Rosé (NV)
★★★★☆
ChampagneDeutz, Brut Classic (NV)
★★★☆☆
ChampagneTaittinger, Brut Réserve (NV)
★★★★☆Explore
Bottles Father gave five stars
Only the wines Father scored a perfect 5
→
Wines in manga, film and history
Bottles that show up in manga, film and history
→
Wines you can buy at the supermarket
Wines actually bought at the supermarket
→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Pol Roger Rosé Vintage 2009?
A vintage rosé Champagne from Pol Roger in Épernay. It takes the same year's Brut Vintage base (60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay) and gets its colour from about 15% red Pinot Noir. Wine-Searcher critic aggregate 91.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$124 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). Overseas it runs US$109–116 a bottle by the case in bond (UK, Hong Kong) and US$135–217 for US pre-arrival orders. The same year's Brut Vintage is US$111.
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community (for the Brut Vintage) suggests pork, shellfish, rich fish such as salmon or tuna, and mild soft cheeses. Jancis Robinson also calls this rosé a food wine.
What is the connection between Pol Roger and Churchill?
Churchill drank Pol Roger from at least 1908 until his death and became a lifelong friend of Odette Pol-Roger, whom he met in Paris in 1944. He named a racehorse 'Pol Roger', and when he died in 1965 the house put black borders on labels bound for Britain. Its top cuvée, 'Sir Winston Churchill', was created in his honour.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data (Brut Vintage 2009)
- Pol Roger — Rosé Vintage 2009 tech sheet
- Pol Roger — Brut Vintage 2009 tech sheet
- Wikipedia — Pol Roger
- International Churchill Society — Favourite tipples
Read next
Swipe for more →
Similar styleLouis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
France · Champagne★★★★★Similar styleBillecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne NV
France · Champagne★★★★½Highly rated by FatherJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
France · Champagne★★★★★Highly rated by FatherMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★Highly rated by FatherClos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley)
United States · Napa★★★★★Highly rated by Father