Roederer Champagne NV Collection 243

"The new Louis Roederer Brut Collection is numbered as a series, just like Krug Grande Cuvée and Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle, and this is just the 2nd release in 750ml. The wine is composed of 59% of 2018, with 31% coming from a solera-like perpetual reserve that contains the six previous vintages: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. The balance (10%) comes from large oak barrel reserves going back to 2009. The perpetual reserve is always kept at 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the final blend is 42% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 18% Meunier. The result is a wine that is both more complex and expressive than the Brut Premier that it replaces, but surprisingly also much fresher. The dosage has been dropped to around 8g/L and the balance is perfect. Only 26% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation because of the ripeness of the 2018 harvest. By adding the collection number to the founding date of the house, 1776, you get the year that it was bottled. If you subtract one from that number, you get the base vintage, for this second release it is 2018. The NV Collection 243 is bright, punchy and wonderfully effusive, the 243 really shows the more vibrant style Roederer is going for with their new entry-level NV bottling. Citrus peel white, flowers, mint, slate and a host of saline notes build nicely. This is impressive, to say the least."

"The NV Champagne Collection 243 Brut is the third release and is based on the 2018 vintage, with the addition of 30% of the perpetual reserve started in 2012 and 10% reserve wine that has been aged in oak. It is ripe and balanced, with yellow flowers, honeycomb, and plum, and it has elegant concentration and underlying tension, precise mousse, and rich salinity, with lingering notes of croissant and delicate smoke. This will be an exciting wine in the range to follow."

"A crystalline and pure nose full of bright lemon, chamomile, green apple and soft honeysuckle. Crisp and dry, with racy acidity and tiny bubbles that lift the palate straight away. Mouthwatering but light and so fine in terms of texture with a chalky, long and softly salty finish. This really makes you want another glass straight away. A perfect aperitif wine still with lots of juice and fruity flavours but crisp and totally refreshing. The majority of this blend comes from the 2018 vintage."