Louis Roederer 'Collection 246' Brut Champagne
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.
| Grape Blend | Aging | Farming Practices |
|
54% Chardonnay 35% Pinot Noir 11% Meunier |
based on the finest wines from the 2021 harvest (55%) and complemented by 35% of the Perpetual Reserve (2012-2020) and 10% of oak-aged reserve wines sourced from young Cristal vines (2012-2017). | organic and biodynamic |
Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon