Louis Roederer, Collection 246, Brut, Champagne, France, NV (375mL)

Overview of the Wine
Uncompromising Quality:  Champagne Louis Roederer was founded in 1776 in Reims, France and is one of the rare family owned companies, which is still managed by the Roederer family. In 1833, Louis Roederer inherited the company from his uncle and renamed the company under his namesake. Under his leadership, the company rapidly grew while remaining true to their philosophy of uncompromising quality. Today, the company is under the helm of Jean-Claude Rouzaud and his son Frédéric who continue to place quality before quantity. 

First-Rate Vineyards:  Champagne Louis Roederer is one of the only French champagne producers to own nearly 75 percent of the grapes in the most desirable vineyards in the Champagne. The property is located on 450 acres in the finest villages of Montagne de Reims, Côtes des Blancs, and Valleé de la Marne. Each region is selected to produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with the elegance needed for perfectly balanced champagne. The Louis Roederer vineyards rate an average 98 percent based on France’s statutory 100-point classification scale.

The reserve wine is then tasted and graded by a team of Roederer specialists. They choose as many as 40 different wines from several lots for the blend. For the final touch, the wine is then added in order to enhance the cuvee and guarantee consistency while retaining the champagne's characteristics.

Sustainable and Organic.

Winemaker
Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon

Grape / Blend
54% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 11% Meunier

Origin
Champagne, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Aged in our cellars for almost four years, Collection 246 is a champagne of freshness, vibrancy and ethereal finesse. Carried by the tension and balance of the vintage, the freshness of the Perpetual Reserve, and the complexity of the oak-aged reserve wines, it unfolds with grace and delicacy, revealing an accomplished fruit, evocative of mirabelle plum and candied citrus, complemented by a subtle touch of oak and charming toasted and iodised overtones.

Perfect with gastronomy and endowed with a long cellar ageing potential, it can be enjoyed now but it can also be kept back for several years during which it will further evolve to unveil another facet of its identity. 

93 Points - Wine Spectator
A harmonious Champagne that shows impeccable balance, with depth and focus to its flavors of white cherry, Honeycrisp apple, tangerine peel and biscuit, while retaining vibrancy and grace. A chalky underpinning comes to the fore on the creamy finish, joining delicate spice and floral accents. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier. Drink now through 2030

93 Points - Vinous
The NV Brut Collection 246 is positively stellar. It’s a terrific example of where Roederer is going with this cuvée stylistically. Brisk saline notes cut through a core of orchard fruit, mint, white pepper and slate. There are no hard angles or awkward contours. The 246 is based on 2021, an extremely tricky vintage for Champagne. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon bumped up the percentage of Chardonnay considerably and focused on Pinots from the Montagne de Reims. About 30% of the lots underwent malolactic fermentation to soften the edges. Twenty-four percent of the wines were fermented in oak, the rest in tank. The 246 is a blend of 55% base 2021 vintage wines described above, plus 30% perpetual reserve going back to 2012 (mostly from Cumières, Vertus and Verzy) in tank and 10% young-vine juice from Cristal plots aged in cask. The final blend is 54% Chardonnay (as opposed to the more typical 44%), 35% Pinot Noir and 11% Meunier. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. More importantly, the 246 is impeccably done and absolutely delicious. 

93 Points - James Suckling
This has pretty and elegant aromas of pears, apple blossoms, grapefruit and chalk. It’s silky, fresh and beautifully balanced on the palate, with very soft bubbles. Based on 2021, with reserve wine from a perpetual reserve created in 2012, plus reserve wines kept in oak from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Product size: 375ml