Champagne Louis Roederer - Collection 243 Brut avec étui

Bettane & Desseauve

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.

Decanter

About wine:

A crystal-clear, pure nose, full of bright lemon, chamomile, green apple, and sweet honeysuckle. Crisp and dry, with racy acidity and tiny bubbles that immediately lift the palate. The palate is easy-drinking but light, and the texture is so fine that it finishes with a chalky, long, and gently salty finish. It makes you want to have another glass right away. A perfect aperitif wine, still full of juice and fruity flavors, but crisp and totally refreshing. Most of this blend comes from the 2018 vintage.

Guide Hachette des vins

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

About wine:

Based on the 2018 vintage and complemented by reserve wines from a solera established in 2012, as well as younger reserve wines aged in oak barrels, Roederer's new NV Brut Collection 243 is a smooth and enveloping champagne that evokes crisp stone fruits, honeycomb, white flowers, and butter pastries. Medium-bodied to full-bodied, fleshy and generous, with an ample fruity core, lively acids and a salty finish, it will offer a demonstrative tasting experience as soon as it is released.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

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.

Jancis Robinson

James Suckling

About wine:

Notes of dried lemon, apricot, green apple, salted almond, walnut, and light caramel. Vinous and complex, with small, tight bubbles. Excellent concentration and intensity. Based on 2018, with reserve wines dating back to 2009.