Roederer/Louis Brut Champagne Collection 242 NV

97 points/'Top-Scoring Wines of 2021,' Decanter: "Fresh, vibrant nose displaying aromas of orange, lime peel, almond, honey and brioche with ripe quince and sweet pear undertones. Great focus and length on the palate, seriously harmonious, joyful and unforced. Drinking Window: 2022-2040. (Oct 2021)"

94 points James Suckling: "Aromas of cooked apple, bread dough and lemon tart follow through to a full body with round, delicious fruit and a rich, flavorful finish. Yet, it remains tight and fine with lovely, compressed bubbles. New energy and freshness. Medium-to full-bodied with layers of fruit and vivid intensity. 42% chardonnay, 36% pinot noir and 22% pinot meunier. 8 grams dosage. Four years on the less. A new-format non-vintage that designates the year of the 242nd harvest, 2017, plus reserve wine of 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Drink or hold. (7/5/21)"

93 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The new 'Collection 242' non-vintage Brut from Champagne Louis Roederer is from the base year of 2017. This is a new cuvée that is destined to replace the Brut Premier bottling in due course. As the wine is from the base year of 2017, which was most favorable for the chardonnay grape, the ultimate cépages is weighted that way a bit at 42% chardonnay, 36% pinot noir and 22% pinot meunier, but these numbers include the substantial amount of reserve wines included, so the 2017 juice includes a far higher percentage of chardonnay. The reserve wines included here are truly exceptional as twelve percent of the blend is comprised of wines that were aged in oak foudres prior to blending, ranging from the 2016 vintage back to 2009. Additionally, fully one-third of the blend is also made from reserve wines from a solera of 'perpetual reserves' that was begun for this bottling in the 2012 vintage and will be included in each subsequent release of the Collection series. The Collection 242 was finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter and offers up a beautifully refined bouquet of apple, white peach, patissière, a complex base of chalky soil tones, a touch of fresh almond, dried flowers and a delicate framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and sports superb mid-palate depth, bright, zesty acids, utterly refined mousse and outstanding length and grip on the superbly balanced and complex finish. This is truly stunning non-vintage Brut! 2021-2050. (Sep/Oct 2021)"

93 points Michael Edwards (The World of Fine Wine): "(Collection 242 comprises 34% perpetual reserve, 10% oak-aged reserve wine from the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 vintages—this combined 44% is where the real revolution is taking place—and 56% from the 2017 vintage, especially Chardonnay, the most successful variety in that testing year, plus Pinot Noir and Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne in particular.) Fine, elegantly restrained, fresh color, lemon-tinted pale gold, as if the complexity of the perpetual reserve is already beginning to work its magic in the hidden interior of the wine. The bubbles are gently a little shy to the eye at first but make a firm, dynamic impact on the tongue. The repertoire of citrus aromas wafts up in its own time, with a hint of spring snowdrops, then quite an assertive flavor of lemon confit on the palate, with an intriguing and benign amer (bitter) finish. Made for great roasted turbot, even monkfish, then a slice of Beaufort cheese. (8/12/21)"