Champagne Louis Roederer - Collection 242 Brut
93/100
RVF
93+/100
Robert Parker
"New style!"
The "Brut Premier" cuvée has been reinvented, offering greater complexity and precision. Collection 242 represents the House's 242nd blend since its creation. Based on the 2017 vintage (56%), this cuvée is complemented by 34% reserve wine from the Perpetual Reserve started in 2012 and 10% aged in wood. This turning point marks a new chapter in the history of the great Champagne House in search of freedom and a more contemporary style!
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Nose
Notes of white fruit, citrus zest, and acacia blossom. When aerated, a light touch of toasted hazelnut, the signature of Chardonnay.
Mouth
Long, very pure finish. Freshness, precision, finesse, complex and precise flavors. Very pleasant salty finish.
Serve
At 8-10°C
Drink before
2025
Food and wine pairings
Can be enjoyed on its own as an aperitif or with a seafood platter, lobster, crayfish fricassee, or a selection of cheeses such as Brillat-Savarin or Chaource.
Bettane & Desseauve
Rated estate (2026 guide) 5 stars (Exceptional producers, representing the absolute pinnacle of quality in France and worldwide)
About the estate:
Founded in Reims in 1776, Roederer still belongs to the same family, represented today by Frédéric Rouzaud. In recent years, it has been a pioneer, being the first to gradually convert its vast 242-hectare vineyard to organic and biodynamic farming (126 hectares). Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, an eminent cellar master and agronomist, never ceases to impress with his intimate knowledge of each parcel of the estate and the choices he makes. Cristal, an exceptional prestige cuvée, comes only from vines growing on chalky soils. The vintage wines and the heart of the non-vintage brut, now called Collection, with a number indicating the base year of the blend, come from soils that are still calcareous but more clayey. Wines intended for longer aging do not undergo malolactic fermentation, which requires the grapes to be picked at a high level of ripeness, often close to 11°C. The current wines are certainly the most remarkable ever produced, including the astonishing red and white Coteaux-Champenois, with the very exclusive Camille cuvées.
Guide Hachette des vins
Rated estate Award-winning wines (This producer's wines are regularly recognized by the guide)
About the estate:
A house founded in Reims in 1776. Louis Roederer became its owner in 1833, developed it, and acquired vineyards. In the 1870s, the house, which delivered 2.5 million bottles, had Russia as its main customer, where Tsar Alexander II asked Louis Roederer to create a prestigious champagne for him: the famous Cristal cuvée was launched (1876). With 240 hectares of vineyards (first growth or grand cru) representing two-thirds of its supplies, the company is still run by the descendants of its founders. The latest, Frédéric Rouzaud, is now at the head of a group that owns Deutz Champagnes and numerous prestigious wines, from the Médoc to Provence, Portugal to California.
Robert Parker - Wine Advocate
Wine rating (2021 guide) 93+/100 (Outstanding wine)
Rated Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)
About wine:
"Roederer's Brut Premier was created in the 1980s to prove to consumers that we could offer consistent quality with a blend that compensated for less-than-perfectly ripe vintages," explains Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon. "We blended in search of maturity. The concept behind the Brut Collection is the opposite: we seek freshness and embrace uniqueness, which we emphasize by listing the year of each blend. This project has been in the works since 2012, when Lecaillon set aside 21,000 liters of wine to create a Perpetual Reserve aged in large vats without malolactic fermentation. The supply chain has also evolved: fewer musts come from cooperatives, and only vineyards cultivated without the use of herbicides are used in the blend. A dedicated team oversees all of this, visiting each producer three times a year. And the vinification is done plot by plot to deliver a maximum number of blending components. Collection 242 is based on the 2017 vintage (56%), supplemented by 34% reserve wines from the Perpetual Reserve established in 2012 and 10% reserve wines aged in large oak casks.
RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
Wine rated (2021 guide) 93/100
Rated estate (2026 guide) 3 stars (These represent the excellence of French vineyards. The best terroirs cultivated by the greatest winemakers. Tasting their wine is always a magical moment.)
About wine:
We are immediately captivated by the precision and brilliance of the aromas: raspberry, yuzu, pepper... The nose is subtly enhanced by a patina resulting from aging in oak barrels. A superb definition of champagne, refreshing, creamy, with nuanced flavors. With a beautiful vinous scope, it is a very accomplished brut. An example. And finally, in a blind tasting, we recognize, by its style, Roederer's Collection 242 brut, based on 2017.
About the estate:
This is one of Champagne's finest standard-bearers. This family-owned estate is based on a vineyard comprising 420 plots, mostly Pinot Noir, 70% of which are classified as Grand Cru. Viticulture is a real priority here, particularly through the transition to biodynamic farming. Soil cultivation is becoming widespread. Only such an exceptional vineyard can explain the unique level of harmony and concentration achieved with such large volumes. It is no coincidence that the cellar master, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, is an oenologist but also an agronomist, just like Jean-Claude Rouzaud, who built the current empire of Roederer's great international vineyards. In good faith, he entrusted the reins of the group to his son, Frédéric Rouzaud, the current president, at an early stage. Here, malolactic fermentation is only partial and random (between 25% and 50%). The juices are aged on lees in vats and oak casks to give them body.