Thinking about having a party, why not indulge in a novelty bottle of Pol Roger?
The following bottle sizes of Pol Roger are now available to order. Please note that there can be up to a maximum eight weeks delivery time for bottles larger than a magnum so please order well in advance to ensure delivery on time.
To order please call +44 (0) 20 7193 9867 or e-mail tom@thecardinalscellar.com for prices and further information.
| Bottle Size | Number of bottles | Volume |
| Quarter | 1/4 | 18.75cl |
| Half-Bottle | 1/2 | 37.5cl |
| Bottle | 1 | 75cl |
| Magnum | 2 | 1.5L |
| Jeroboam* | 4 | 3L |
| Rehoboam | 6 | 4.5L |
| Methuselah | 8 | 6L |
| Salmanazar | 12 | 9L |
| Balthazar | 16 | 12L |
| Nebuchadnezzar | 20 | 15L |
*The Jeroboam denotes different sizes in different regions of France and can either be a double or triple magnum.
These bottle sizes tend to be named after biblical figures except ‘magnum’ which is an abbreviation of magnum bonum meaning a big, good thing and this size is not so much a novelty bottle so much as a good size for occasions. Magnums of Champagne like our Pol Roger are actually produced in the bottle as opposed to larger bottles which are made in normal sized bottles and decanted into the bigger bottles later.
The idea of naming bottles after biblical and historical figures supposedly comes from Sir Walter Scott making a joke about Jeroboam, a king of Israel described as a “mighty man of valour” (I Kings 11:28) who “made Israel to sin” (I Kings 14:16). References of other biblical and historical figures being used to describe bottles of wine arose at later dates.
Jeroboam was the first king of the Biblical kingdom of the Hebrews in N Palestine or Israel.
Rehoboam was the grandson of King David who ruled in the 10th Century BC and son of King Solomon.
Methusulah was the oldest man mentioned in the bible who supposedly died at the age of 969.
Salmanazar was a king of Assyria.
Balthazar either refers to the last king of Babylon or one of the three kings who visited Christ after his birth.
Nebuchadnezzar was supposedly the greatest and most powerful of all kings of Babylon who ruled around the 7th Century BC.
There are other sizes only created for grand occasions or special reasons such as the 50cl bottle of Champagne that Pol Roger made to be brought to Winston Churchill at 11am every morning. Sizes such as the 18L (24bt) Melchior, 27L (36bt) Primat and 30L (40bt) Melchizedek are rarely produced.
