Winery & Vintage Info
Responding to the times we live in, along with sustainable and respectful winegrowing practices that accentuate the qualities of the terroir, have become central to our ethos and our work. Anticipating future vintages whilst adapting to current conditions are challenges that we are faced with daily and we must therefore push ourselves ever further in our quest for exceptional wines. We must be bold and make the most of our freedom to act. These new balances determine the evolution of our wines in terms of their distinctive character and taste characteristics whilst widening the scope of possibilities. Thus, 10 years ago, the idea of Collection was born...
"This thought process about Collection began 10 years ago. The facts were undeniable, climate change had been affecting the Champagne region over the past 30 years and we saw in this an opportunity to harvest extra mature grapes at the end of earlier harvests".
Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Cellar Master
This 244th blend from the Louis Roederer Champagne House is based on the finest successes of the 2019 harvest, a year of record-breaking temperatures brought by particularly intense heat waves. Dry and continental and of magnificent maturity, this year gave us wines that were dense and fresh, with a masterful balance, conducive to bringing out the powerful and luscious Collection character in the blend.
All the wines from this harvest were rigorously tasted, plot by plot, before being blended in a complex symphony recreating the perfect picture of the vintage.
True to its roots, the Champagne House wanted to reflect its historical origins in the blend: 1/3 from our "La Rivière" Estate, 1/3 from our "La Montagne" Estate and 1/3 from our "La Côte" Estate.
All the plots of vines used for the creation of Collection, i.e. those owned by Louis Roederer as well as those belonging to our longstanding partners, have therefore been reevaluated to retain only those that are best suited to the Collection identity, rooted in the heart of the Champagne terroir.
Made up of 54% of the 2019 harvest, Collection 244 is an ode to taste and drinking pleasure. Each year, the Cellar Master composes a new symphony, inspired by the tonalities of the year and then adds the wines from the Perpetual Reserve and the oak-aged reserve wines.
The Perpetual Reserve makes up a significant proportion of the Collection blend and provides its balance and freshness. In Collection 244, it represents 36% of the blend. In parallel to this Perpetual Reserve, 10% of wines from previous years and young plots on the Cristal estate, aged in French oak foudres, are added to the blend.
