Intense gold with persistent fine mousse. The nose opens with floral rose notes & warms to toasted brioche. The mouth is full & fresh with spicy floral notes (wallflower or nasturtium), underpinned with candied yellow fruit. The finish is long & dry. This is a classy mid-term vintage from Pol Roger that will continue to improve for at least 5 years in bottle & in magnum for 10-12 years. Typically this has the power to match fine dining & would work well with lobster or other crustaceans as well as rich or pungent or spicy dishes. Vintage champagne is by definition the wine of a single year & it must rely on the success of that harvest alone. Vintage champagne is therefore produced only when all the necessary components of climate, grape quality & ripeness at harvest come together for the winemaker to produce a wine of optimum intensity, structure & balance. The growing season of 1999 was marked by exceptional warmth & rain, with some heavy hail in May which devastated the vines in some communes. Growth was vigorous, necessitating some green pruning. The grapes were in good condition at harvest time which opened on 19th September & closed 1st October. Fortunately the heavy rain which fell at times during this period did not spoil a record harvest (19, 000 kg/ha) with a good maturity (9.9% vol). Made in limited quantity, the 1999 Brut Vintage follows the traditional Pol Roger formula of 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Chardonnay from up to 20 Grand & Premier Cru vineyards in the Montagne de Reims, the Grand Vallee de la Marne & the Cote des Blancs. The musts underwent 2 cold settlings before fermentation in stainless steel to preserve the fruit characteristics of the wine. The wine was then blended & transferred to bottle for its second fermentation & aging in the cellars. Grape: 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay.