The NV Brut Collection 246 is positively stellar. It’s a terrific example of where Roederer is going with this cuvée stylistically. Brisk saline notes cut through a core of orchard fruit, mint, white pepper and slate. There are no hard angles or awkward contours. The 246 is based on 2021, an extremely tricky vintage for Champagne. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon bumped up the percentage of Chardonnay considerably and focused on Pinots from the Montagne de Reims. About 30% of the lots underwent malolactic fermentation to soften the edges. Twenty-four percent of the wines were fermented in oak, the rest in tank. The 246 is a blend of 55% base 2021 vintage wines described above, plus 30% perpetual reserve going back to 2012 (mostly from Cumières, Vertus and Verzy) in tank and 10% young-vine juice from Cristal plots aged in cask. The final blend is 54% Chardonnay (as opposed to the more typical 44%), 35% Pinot Noir and 11% Meunier. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. More importantly, the 246 is impeccably done and absolutely delicious.

The 2018 Brut Nature Rosé offers a beguiling combination of strong Pinot Noir inflections and cool, mineral-driven Cumières character. Cranberry, white flowers, chalk, game and dried herbs are all finely sculpted. Here, too, the Rosé is not quite as austere as the first releases in the series because of longer aging prior to bottling and lees-stirring during élevage. Even so, I very much admire the wine’s tension and drive. The Rosé is a blend of 20% Pinot Noir that is picked 5 days ahead of the main harvest and cold-soaked, plus 80% of the Blanc field blend, done in the same infusion style Roederer uses for Cristal Rosé. That approach exalts the flavor profile and structure of Pinot Noir, qualities that explode on the substantial finish.

Another fabulous edition of this wine … this offers a lively effervescence on the mid-palate. Bright Japanese pear and cranberry notes combine with salty minerals on the palate. Sleek and refined, enjoy now and over the next eight years to come.

This is big, rich stuff that comes off fat on the tongue. Dense melon and red fruits collide with sea salt dusted French bread and star jasmine water on the palate. A seamless, delicious bottling to enjoy now, this has both the stuffing and verve to cellar well for another ten plus years.

A really impressive non-vintage wine. … Shades of candied ginger and saffron fill the nose alongside honeydew melon and cashew nut accents. This is deeply textured stuff with a refined mousse. Elegant and viscous, enjoy now and over the next eight plus years.