Louis Roederer Collection 242 NV 1.5L Deluxe Gift Pack

Points: 92/100

winespectator.com ∙ 23rd Nov 2021

Wines like the Louis Roederer Collection 242 bring out my barely concealed nerdiness and lets it dance around the room. I love the idea that a classic region doesn’t mean a stagnant approach to wine and that wine can be the point at which art and science combine. Brut Premier no longer exists, it has retired and in its place arises The Collection. Named 242 after the 242nd harvest, this is a multi-vintage rather than a non-vintage. The first release is based mainly on the 2017 vintage with reserve wines, some that have been aged in oak. This accounts for 10% of the blend and is sourced from 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The Perpetual Reserve portion is 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. If you scan the QR code on the back of the bottle, it gives you all the techy details you could ever want. A blend of 42% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Noir and 22% Pinot Meunier, 12% of these three go through oak before meeting their elder reserve siblings. The bottle code can be entered into the website or scan it into the Roederer app and it will tell you the date that it was disgorged (8g/l-December 2020) and then released from the cellars (June 2021). The 56% that comes from 2017 was harvested between 31st August and 9th September of that year. Told you it was geeky!! I get very excited about the choice of whether you want to geek or not. If you would like to try this and just enjoy its beauty for what it is, get amongst it! Otherwise, you can scan away and find out why it has changed from the Brut Premier. So why has it changed? Because the world has changed and because working to a set split of grape varieties made in a certain way was no longer the way that Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon thought was showing the potential of the wine at its highest point. The changing climate means that from one year to the next, there are much more marked differences in the fruit. In addition, Roederer is transitioning to full sustainability in their practices, which may yield different flavours and volumes across their own vineyards. The blend may differ but across the board, the changes have come from less oxidative handling, a smaller percentage of reserve wine, the rest coming from the best of the single vineyards, lower dosage and more stainless steel. So after all that nerdiness, the important stuff. What does it taste like? From my Majestic days in the UK, I was very familiar with the Brut Premier releases. They were peachy, nutty, full and rich whereas the fresher and lighter touch of the multi-vintage Collection is noticeable. Full of crisp green apples, lemon zest, salinity, orange blossom, danish pastry and a hint of kumquat zest. Clever and delicious, the lingering freshness on the finish combines with the unmistakable hints of maturity and autolytic characteristics to create a wine that is still so unmistakably Roederer whilst being altogether something new. Points: 94/100

The Wine Front ∙ 28th Oct 2021