ABOUT THE WINE
First founded in 1776 as Dubois Père et Fils, the house was inherited and renamed by Louis Roederer in 1833. The company, which now includes vineyard-holdings and estates throughout France and around the world, remains under the ownership of his descendants. Unusual for large Champagne houses, Roederer owns a large proportion of the vineyards which contribute to their wines: vintage expressions, including Cristal, are sourced entirely from their own grapes, and only a third of their overall production is made from bought-in grapes. They have been undertaking experiments with biodynamic viticulture in their vineyards since 2000.
The Collection 242 was launched in September 2021 to replace the flagship Brut Premier. The radical idea of changing the flagship NV cuvée stemmed from battling the fierce challenges climate change had brought to Champagne in terms of vintage variation. Hence, to “fight for freshness" this new cuvée was created. The perpetual reserve, which had been in the works since 2013 is mainly used as the "freshening element" and makes up 34% of the blend. The rest is 10% oak reserve wines and 56% from only the 2017 harvest.
TASTING NOTES
A delightful Champagne, which sees the bright, youthful character of the base wines enhanced by extended lees-ageing and 10% barrel-aged reserve wines, which add a creamy texture to the palate, mingling with citrus, glazed fruit and toast flavours. A hint of smoke adds complexity to the finish; a very fine non-vintage Champagne.
FOOD PAIRING
An excellent aperitif, it would pair very well with smoked salmon or scallops fried in butter.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
242 represents the number of times Roederer has made a non-vintage since founded in 1776 and it's aged for 3 years on the lees, with a further 6 months ageing following disgorgement to allow the wine to settle before release. 10% reserve wine is used, which has been aged in oak barrel for between 2 and 5 years.