🍾 Pol Roger Rich

Pol Roger Rich is a non-vintage white Champagne in the Demi-Sec style from the house Pol Roger in Épernay, part of its Non-vintage range.

According to the house, the cuvée was launched in 2001 and sits half-way between sec and demi-sec; it blends the three Champagne grapes in equal proportions from 30 crus, with 25 % reserve wines, at least four years in the cellar and a dosage of 34 g/l.

The house Pol Roger dates from 1849, when Pol Roger began selling wine in Aÿ; since 1851 it has been based in Épernay.

The boundaries of the Champagne area were set by a law of 6 May 1919: parts of the Marne, Aube, Aisne, Haute-Marne and Seine-et-Marne departments. The designation’s specification allows seven grape varieties, dominated by Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; grapes are picked as whole bunches, that is by hand, and the yield is limited to 10,400 kg per hectare.

According to the Comité Champagne, Champagne is served chilled to 8–10 °C, and bottles are kept in the dark at a steady 10–15 °C, without vibration. An opened bottle is best closed with a sparkling-wine stopper and kept cold.

It is sold under the protected designation of origin Champagne: the bubbles come only from a second fermentation in the bottle, and the wine is aged for at least 15 months before sale (36 for vintage). Demi-Sec on the label is an EU sugar term: 32 to 50 g of sugar per litre.

Why it matters to you. No year on the label means it is not a vintage wine: the house may blend wines from different harvests. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.