Louis Roederer remains a bastion of excellence in Champagne. This house only produces Champagnes from grapes from its own 270ha vineyards. Classic yet innovative Champagnes of a very high standard. Collection replaces the Brut Premier.

Decanter: "Fresh, vibrant nose displaying aromas of orange, lime peel, almond, honey and brioche with ripe quince and pear undertones. Great focus and length on the palate, seriously harmonious, joyful and unforced." 97/100

Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The NV Collection 242 is a new wine from Roederer that replaces the Brut Premier in the range. The Collection (which now will be numbered by harvest) is a blend of three components: a perpetual reserve done in the classic non-malo Roederer style, reserve wines in oak with a touch of malo, and a base vintage, in this case 2017. That blend results in a NV Champagne that offers lovely richness and resonance, with plenty of yellow orchard fruit and floral character. Whereas Brut Premier was typically a focused, nervy wine that, while consistently excellent, also was not always in line with the Roederer house style, the 242 tastes more like a Roederer Champagne in terms of its complexity. Incidentally, there is no Vintage, Cristal or pink Cristal in 2017, so all the best lots went into this bottling. Dosage is 8 grams per liter, so lower than the 9 or so that was typical for recent Brut Premier and much lower than the 12-13 that was once customary. The 242 was also bottled with a bit less sugar than the norm, which results in lower atmospheres of pressure in the bottle and silkier texture." 92/100