Methuselah of Pol to be sold for charity

A Methuselah of Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 2004 is to be auctioned at Bonhams in London on 11 September in aid of the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation.

One of the lots in Bonhams’ fine wine sale, the six-litre bottle, equivalent to eight single bottles of Champagne, is estimated to sell for between £5,000-10,000.

The recently released fizz is made from 100% Chardonnay grown in Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs, Oiry, Chouilly, Cramant, Avize and Oger.

To celebrate the launch of Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs 2004, the house produced a one-off Methuselah, which was unveiled at the Riders and Owners party at this year’s Badminton Horse Trials by event rider Laura Collett.

Collett was enjoying a successful career as an event rider until she suffered a fall in 2013, which left her in a coma for a week with a fractured shoulder, punctured lung, lacerated liver, two broken ribs and loss of vision in one eye.

She made a remarkable recovery and has returned to eventing, displaying an unswerving commitment to the sport and impressive determination and bravery.

At Collett’s request, proceeds of the sale will be donated to the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation to fund research into repairing and curing spinal cord injury.