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Louis Roederer, Brut Premier (NV)
SparklingFranceNV
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-01-16 · Published 2026-09-17 · Updated 2026-09-17
At a glance
35 critic scores are on file on Vivino — mostly clustered in the 90-94 range (median 92), with a couple of outliers (16, 100) that appear to reflect different score-normalization scales. Wine.com separately cites Decanter 94, James Suckling 93, Wine Advocate 92, Wine Enthusiast 92, Jeb Dunnuck 91 and Wine & Spirits 90.
Market note: Wine.com lists this cuvée at a regular price of US$55, discounted to US$47.99, but currently out of stock (checked Sept 2026). Brut Premier was fully discontinued in 2021 when cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon replaced it with "Collection 242" — the change is said to have been triggered by the unusually high quality of the 2002 vintage, which had to be "corrected down" to fit the old blend, exposing a flaw in the Brut Premier concept itself.
What this wine is
In 1876, Louis Roederer made a decision that's still famous today: for Tsar Alexander II of Russia. The tsar, wary of assassination attempts after visiting Paris in 1867, wanted a champagne bottle made of clear glass so he could see there was nothing hidden inside it. Roederer commissioned a Flemish glassmaker to produce a clear, flat-bottomed bottle in lead glass — and the cuvée poured into it became known as "Cristal." Cristal wasn't sold commercially until 1945, and later became a hip-hop cultural touchstone after Jay-Z, responding to a 2006 interview remark by Roederer managing director Frédéric Rouzaud, declared he would never drink or serve Cristal again. That's Cristal's story, though — not the story of Brut Premier, the wine this piece is about.
Unlike that glamorous prestige cuvée, Brut Premier was Roederer's everyday non-vintage line, blending Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with the goal of combining fresh fruit character with the depth of a fully matured wine. But in 2021, cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon replaced it entirely with a new cuvée, "Collection 242." The trigger was almost paradoxical: blending the exceptionally strong 2002 vintage into Brut Premier meant having to "correct the quality down" to match the house style, which exposed a conceptual flaw in the whole approach. Lécaillon has since admitted that Brut Premier remained "in the shadow" of Roederer's other wines, serving as little more than an aperitif. Collection 242 introduced a continuously replenished reserve system, drawing on vintages back to 2012 much like a sherry solera — and Brut Premier passed into history.
What the world says
This Brut Premier has been rated by 56,223 people on Vivino, averaging 4.2 — the largest sample of any wine this magazine has covered. 35 critic scores are on file, mostly clustered in the 90-94 range (median 92). Wine.com separately cites named reviews: Decanter 94, James Suckling 93, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 92, Wine Enthusiast 92, Jeb Dunnuck 91, Wine & Spirits 90.
The flavor keywords lead decisively with apple, green apple and pear (3,043 mentions), followed by brioche and toast (2,641) and citrus and lemon (2,369). Structure: acidity 4.25/5, fizziness 4.23, intensity 3.76 — a distinctly acid-driven profile.
"Amazing champagne. Green apple, lime, citrus. Served as a wine pairing for the kaya toast with foie gras at 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung." — Vivino review, Dec 2020, 4.5 stars
"Beautifully complex champagne. Begins with a yeasty, bready note and progresses into light, zesty citrus flavours with a long finish. Perfect!" — Vivino review, Jul 2015, 4.5 stars
Given that this cuvée itself has been discontinued since 2021, the more than 56,000 reviews now on record amount, in effect, to a record of a champagne that is no longer made.
How I drank it
16 January 2020, 4 stars. "Good for welcome drink at party. Nice quality brut. Toast, brioche, green apple, citrus, almond." Short and practical.
That same day I also logged two double-magnum Burgundies — Martelet de Cherisey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Hameau de Blagny 2016 (4.5) and Arnaud Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 (4) — plus Vieux Château Gaubert Graves Rouge 1999 (2.5). Brut Premier's role that evening was to open the door: a welcome drink before the real Burgundy whites and reds began, and my note stays true to that role — "good for welcome drink at party." Scoring it 4, essentially matching the community average of 4.2, lines up with that assessment as a reliably excellent opener — exactly the position Lécaillon would later describe when he said Brut Premier never became more than a welcome drink, overshadowed by Roederer's other wines.
Vivino community data
NV vintage rating distribution (56223 ratings, average 4.2)
| 5★ | 11053 (20%) | |
| 4★ | 37757 (67%) | |
| 3★ | 6634 (12%) | |
| 2★ | 520 (1%) | |
| 1★ | 259 (0%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Stone fruit & apple | 3043 | apple 1059 · green apple 760 · pear 538 · peach 249 · apricot 136 |
| Bread & nuts (non-oak) | 2641 | brioche 906 · toast 794 · almond 357 · nutty 215 · biscuit 189 |
| Citrus | 2369 | citrus 1178 · lemon 570 · lime 207 · grapefruit 171 · lemon zest 84 |
| Yeast & cream | 1283 | cream 589 · yeast 491 · cheese 69 · lemon curd 41 · toasted bread 25 |
| Earth & honey | 910 | minerals 359 · honey 226 · stone 94 · smoke 53 · chalk 40 |
| Oak | 678 | butter 243 · vanilla 112 · oak 88 · caramel 75 · pastry 63 |
| Vegetal | 189 | straw 108 · grass 23 · gooseberry 18 · chard 13 · hay 13 |
Structure: Acidity 4.25/5 · Intensity 3.76/5 · Fizziness 4.23/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 56223 ratings, average 4.2)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|
My original note (Vivino, 2020-01-16)
“Good for welcome drink at party. Nice quality brut. Toast, brioche, green apple, citrus, almond.”
Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Louis Roederer Brut Premier?
The non-vintage entry-level cuvée from Champagne Louis Roederer, blending Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier at 12% alcohol. Vivino: 56,223 ratings averaging 4.2, with listed critic scores mostly in the 90-94 range. Discontinued in 2021, replaced by Collection 242.
How much does it cost?
The world average price is US$66 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026) (Wine-Searcher, pending). Wine.com listed it at a regular US$55, discounted to US$47.99, but it is now out of stock (checked Sept 2026).
What food pairs well with it?
Vivino users suggest pork, shellfish, rich fish (salmon, tuna) and mild soft cheese. With acidity at 4.25/5, it works equally well as a welcome drink or alongside rich appetizers.
Can I still buy it?
No new vintages are made. Louis Roederer discontinued Brut Premier in 2021, replacing it entirely with "Collection 242" — a new cuvée built on a continuously replenished reserve dating back to 2012, sherry-solera style. Whatever Brut Premier stock remains at retailers will disappear as it sells through.