Buried treasure: the story of a century-old Champagne stash

Picture credit: Michael Boudot

Pol Roger’s new cellar master Damien Cambres was delighted by the discovery.

Picture credit: Michael Boudot

But even more excited was outgoing cellar master Dominique Petit, who had dreamed of finding this buried stash of Pol Roger since he joined the house in 1999.

Left to right: Laurent d’Harcourt, Dominique Petit, Hubert de Billy, Christian de Billy, and Damien Cambres Picture credit: Michael Boudot

Fifth generation of the Pol Roger family, Hubert de Billy, expressed his mixed feelings about the find. “We are very proud, but it was a dream, a story that the family like to tell, and now it is a fact,” he told db.

Picture credit: Lief Carlsson

The wines were carefully removed, and sealed with wax.