Champagne Pol Roger was founded in Épernay in 1849 and remains one of the last great houses still owned and run by the founding family.

The house is inseparable from Sir Winston Churchill, who drank it for half a century and whose name was given to the prestige cuvée created in his honour. On his death in 1965, Pol Roger added a black border to its labels for the British market.

Its cellars run some 33 metres below Épernay — among the deepest and coldest in Champagne. The low temperature slows the second fermentation, which is much of why these wines carry so fine and persistent a bead. Riddling is still done by hand.

The Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay, drawn exclusively from grand cru villages of the Côte des Blancs and released only in years the house judges worthy of a vintage.

2016 was a testing season in Champagne — frost, then mildew, then a hot dry summer that rescued it — and the Chardonnays that came through carry unusual tension.

Lemon blossom, green almond and fresh brioche; a fine, chiselled palate with real chalky depth and a long citrus close. Built to age — it will reward another decade in the cellar.