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, Pinot Noir , Pinot Meunier Responding to the times in which we live, along with sustainable and respectful winegrowing practices that accentuate the qualities of the terroir, have become central to our ethos and our work. Anticipating future vintages and adapting to current conditions are challenges we face every day, so we must continue to push ourselves in our quest for excellence in our blends. We must be bold and make the most of our freedom to act.
These new balances determine the evolution of our wines in terms of their distinctive character and taste characteristics, whilst widening the range of possibilities. Thus, the idea of Collection was born...
Each year, the Cellar Master composes a new symphony, inspired by the tonalities of the year, and then adds the wines from the Perpetual Reserve and the oak-aged reserve wines.
Made up of 55% of the 2021 harvest, Collection 246 is an ode to taste and drinking pleasure. The Perpetual Reserve makes up 35% of the Collection 246 blend, providing balance and freshness.
In parallel with the Perpetual Reserve, a significant proportion of wines from previous years and young plots on the Cristal estate, aged in French oak foudres, are added to the blend. These Reserve wines are Louis Roederer's signature and make up 10% of the Collection 246 blend.
The 246th harvest at Louis Roederer was a challenging, gruelling and in many ways confusing one. 2021 will be remembered as a year when the vineyard team showed unwavering commitment in the face of what was probably one of the most difficult winegrowing seasons since 1958, resulting in low yields! The harvest took place from 13 to 30 September 2021.
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) flavours. The gently releasing bubbles are soft and creamy, creating a mouth-watering impression thanks to the savoury 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.
