Louis Roederer Champagne Collection 246 is the fifth and newest release in the house’s numbered cuvée series, following the successful 242–245 editions. This solera-style Champagne replaces the traditional nonvintage brut, reinforcing Roederer’s shift toward sustainable viticulture and terroir-driven focus. Crafted from approximately 50% 2018 vintage grapes, 40% from their perpetual reserve (2012–2017), and 10% oak-aged reserve wine, Collection 246 benefits from a warm, early-ripening vintage that delivered ripe, concentrated fruit with balanced acidity. The blend is around 40% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and 25% Pinot Meunier, with partial malolactic fermentation and a dosage of about 7 g/L. Roederer’s use of older reserve wines enhances depth and complexity with each release, as the perpetual reserve matures, and 246 is a fantastic iteration. Roederer maintains a meticulous approach to vineyard management and blending, boasting some of the best examples in Champagne. Collection 246 offers ripe orchard fruit, citrus zest, and chalky minerality, with a fine mousse and a long, saline finish. It's an outstanding buy for the Champagne category at a competitive price and consistently one of the best non-vintage cuvees in Champagne at this level.
Jeb Dunnuck 93+ points! "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."
Antonio Galloni 93 points! " 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. (Drink between 2025-2035)"
N.V. Louis Roederer Champagne Collection 246
N.V. Louis Roederer Champagne Collection 246
Louis Roederer Champagne Collection 246 is the fifth and newest release in the house’s numbered cuvée series, following the successful 242–245 editions. This solera-style Champagne replaces the traditional nonvintage brut, reinforcing Roederer’s shift toward sustainable viticulture and terroir-driven focus. Crafted from approximately 50% 2018 vintage grapes, 40% from their perpetual reserve (2012–2017), and 10% oak-aged reserve wine, Collection 246 benefits from a warm, early-ripening vintage that delivered ripe, concentrated fruit with balanced acidity. The blend is around 40% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, and 25% Pinot Meunier, with partial malolactic fermentation and a dosage of about 7 g/L. Roederer’s use of older reserve wines enhances depth and complexity with each release, as the perpetual reserve matures, and 246 is a fantastic iteration. Roederer maintains a meticulous approach to vineyard management and blending, boasting some of the best examples in Champagne. Collection 246 offers ripe orchard fruit, citrus zest, and chalky minerality, with a fine mousse and a long, saline finish. It's an outstanding buy for the Champagne category at a competitive price and consistently one of the best non-vintage cuvees in Champagne at this level.
Jeb Dunnuck 93+ points! "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."
Antonio Galloni 93 points! " 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. (Drink between 2025-2035)"
