Louis Roederer Collection 246 Brut, Champagne, France (750ml)

  • $82.99
  • $56.94
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Louis Roederer Collection 246 Brut, Champagne, France (750ml)

  • $82.99
  • $56.94

WINEMAKER'S NOTES:

Champagne colored with bright, luminous reflections. Very fine, even bubbles. The bouquet reveals yellow fruits (mirabelle plum and nectarine) and candied citrus (lemon), complemented by toasted, oaky notes (vanilla) which come from the 24%of wines vinified in our French oak foudres. The fine reductive notes (shellfish) weave their spell, giving the wine a very chiselled character sculpted by the Chardonnay. The palate is very light and delicate with fruity (peach) and floral (pollen) flavors. The gently releasing bubbles are soft and creamy, creating a mouth-watering impressionthanks to the savory and dry-chalk sensations created on the tongue and lips. The texture on the mid-palate is fresh, oily, powdery and vibrant. The finish is serene and graceful, and lifted by some smoky and toasty reductive notes that are very definitely from the Perpetual Reserve.

Collection 246 is a precise, soft and lively champagne. Its thirst-quenching lightness comes from the exceptional proportion of Chardonnay, which creates finesse, elegance,chalkiness and salinity. It is not unlike the character of certain Blancs de Blancs.

Blend: 54% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 11% Meunier

TASTING NOTES: 

An energetic bouquet opens on perfectly ripe orchard fruit of freshly cut pears and bergamot, framed by chalky limestone that signals both precision and depth. The palate is brisk and composed, moving effortlessly with clarity and drive before settling into a long, saline finish. Expressive, balanced and deeply satisfying.

- Wine Enthusiast, 94 pts. 

The NV Champagne Collection 246 is fantastic and has refreshing nerve, with more citrus, pure lemon curd, white grapefruit, and white peach. Medium-bodied, it floats through the palate, with a refined mousse and fantastic fresh acidity.

 Jeb Dunnuck, 93 pts. 

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.

- James Suckling, 93 pts. 

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.

- Vinous, 93 pts. 

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.

- Wine Spectator, 93 pts. 


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