Louis Roederer Collection 245

Collection 245 is part of the modern Roederer approach to non-vintage Champagne: rather than aiming to erase the character of each year, the house numbers every Collection release and lets its base harvest remain visible. For 245, that base is 2020, supported by reserve wines to bring continuity, texture and depth across the blend. The wine brings together Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, with the source material specifying 41% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 24% Meunier. Roederer’s Collection series replaced the long-standing Brut Premier and reflects cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon’s emphasis on freshness alongside the estate’s increasingly detailed vineyard work. Reserve material includes both oak-aged wines and the perpetual reserve that Roederer began in 2012, while the current bottling is described as spending around three years on its lees before release. That combination matters because Collection is designed to sit between house continuity and edition-specific character. The wine is recognisably Roederer, but the numbered release is not merely packaging: the harvest and reserve composition shift from one Collection to the next. Collection 245 therefore deserves to be bought as 245, not as a generic substitute for every other edition. Brioche nuance is part of the sensory picture, but this is not a wine whose interest depends on a single tasting note. The more compelling story is structural: three Champagne varieties, a 2020 base harvest, significant reserve input and the confidence of a major family-owned house that farms an unusually large estate of its own. For buyers wanting an introduction to contemporary Louis Roederer below vintage and Cristal level, Collection 245 is a particularly useful bottle. It shows the house’s current philosophy in one place: freshness, reserve depth, estate influence and the deliberate individuality of a numbered multi-vintage blend.