The new Louis Roederer Brut Collection is numbered as a series, just like Krug Grande Cuvée and Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle. By adding the collection number to the founding date of the house, 1776, you get the year it was bottled. If you subtract one from that number, you get the base vintage, for this fifth release, it is 2021. Collection 246 represents the Champagne House's 246th blend since its foundation. It is based on the finest wines from the 2021 harvest (55%) and complemented by 35% of the Perpetual Reserve (2012-2020) and 10% of oak-aged reserve wines sourced from young Cristal vines (2012-2017). 30% of the wines undergo malolactic fermentation. Collection 246 is a precise, soft and lively champagne. Its thirst-quenching lightness comes from the exceptional proportion of Chardonnay, which creates finesse, elegance, chalkiness and salinity. It is not unlike the character of certain Blancs de Blancs.