Louis Roederer Champagne Brut 'Collection 244'

TASTING NOTE: "The first impression is as invigorating as a sea breeze. I love the interplay of mirabelle, grapefruit and lychee fruit with minty freshness and waxiness from lees contact. And all this is welded to a beautifully proportioned palate with plenty of structure, the acidity bright and the mousse animating. Very salty finish that pulls you back for more. A cuvee of 41% chardonnay, 33% pinot noir and 26% pinot meunier. Of these, 15% fermented in oak and 85% in stainless steel. The final blend contained 36% reserve perpetual and 10% reserve wines of the 2012 - 2018 vintage from oak. The dosage is 7 g/l. Drink or hold." 94 Points - JamesSuckling.com

ABOUT THE WINE: Roederer’s Collection series replaces the Brut Premier. In response to a warming climate (leading to consistently riper fruit) it was necessary to treat each release of the Roederer multi vintage wines as their own expression rather than trying to emulate a house style. Collection 244 is the 244rd cuvee since the foundation of house Roederer. It is a blend of wines from the 2019 vintage (54%) as well as the house Perpetual Reserve (36%, 2012-2018) and Reserve Wines aged in oak (10%, 2012-2018).

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:  Reims based Louis Roederer is one of the few family owned and independent houses amongst the larger producers in Champagne. In 1845, Louis Roederer acquired 15 hectares in the Grand Cru vineyards of Verzenay. Today the house has 242 hectares located exclusively in the Grands and Premiers Crus of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne, and the Côte des Blancs. Of those 242 hectares, 122 are organically certified and another 10 are certified biodynamic. However, biodynamic principals are used throughout all of their holdings and their flagship wine Cristal is produced from only the best biodynamic fruit. Only the Brut Premier and Collection wines use bought in fruit in their production with all of the other cuvees produced with fruit from their own vineyards. Of all the big names in Champagne, Roederer is the closest in philosophy to the small récoltant manipulant producers that produce wine exclusively from their own fruit.