Ruinart visit --- (long, mundane info., and some TN's)

WINE TALK
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Both Ashley and I thought our visit to Ruinart was our favorite “experience” while in Champagne.

Before I delve into the mundane details of our visit at Ruinart, I must quickly give a shout-out to our own Mr. Jiles Halling, and his wife, Yvonne, who welcomed Ashley and I to their B&B during our stay in Champagne. The Halling’s B&B is located in the sleepy little village of Verzy, smack dab in-between Reims and Epernay. Without Jiles’ assistance, Ashley and I likely would not have been able to taste at either H. Billiot or Vilmart (short write-up on those tastings will be in a separate thread). The accomodations at the Halling’s B&B were by far the best accommodations Ashley and I experienced while in France (while also being amongst the cheapest!), and I cannot recommend them enough to anyone who may find themselves visiting the region. Both Jiles and Yvonne are extremely nice, interesting, and engaging company. Jiles can easily be contacted via Wine Berserkers. The next time Ashley and I are in the region, we won’t even think about staying anywhere else. Thanks, Jiles!

… and, now, back to our regularly scheduled program ---- the Ruinart experience …

A few quick notes about Ruinart (if you just want the TN’s, those can be found below):

  • Ruinart was the first champagne house, and the first bottles were produced in very small amounts, and were only used as free gifts to the especially good customers of the Ruinart’s drapery business.
  • Some of Ruinart’s chalk caves go back to the Roman Empire (3rd century), and they are now considered a historic site, which is why many of them have been reinforced with steel bars. These caves were used as offices during the first World War, even though some of the deepest rooms had a proclivity for taking-on water.
  • Some portions of the caves are rather far underground: There are 139 steps from the top of the caves to the bottom!
  • Ruinart does not use any Pinot Meunier in their wines because they prefer to make longer-aging wines, as allowed by the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties.
  • All grapes are picked by hand, and are pressed in the villages and brought back to the house where they are put into steel tanks for fermentation.
  • Ruinart’s NV wines are blends of 20 different vineyards, which cover 15 hectares.
  • All of Ruinart’s wines have a little r.s. (6 - 10 g/L)

The tasting notes:

NOSE: lighter fruits than their N.V. Rose; white/yellow fruits; toast; fruitier than the 1998 Dom Ruinart BdB; reminds me a lot of a Grenache Blanc; chamomile.

BODY: medium-light bodied; very pale green-yellow color; loose bead.

TASTE: rich, yet elegant; pretty dry; slight bready-ness; not very complex, but very enjoyable.

Posted from CellarTracker



  • N.V. Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne (10/20/2010)
    – popped and poured –
    – tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 45 min. –
    – 48% Chardonnay, 55% Pinot Noir –

NOSE: light strawberry and chalk on the tight nose; smells slightly sweet.

BODY: slight salmon color; medium-light bodied, but a bit heavier than the N.V. BdB

TASTE: quite lively; strawberry, with notes of mineral and earth; a bit warm in the belly. 18% of the Pinot Noir used in this wine is vinified as a still Pinot.

Posted from CellarTracker



NOSE: white fish; beeswax; bready – moreso than the N.V. BdB.

BODY: golden green-yellow color; medium bodied.

TASTE: intensely flavored; deeper bready flavors than the N.V. BdB; honeyed; round mouthfeel. The grapes for this wine come from 5 or 6 different Grand Cru vineyards, 1/3 of which come from the Reims Mtns. region, and 2/3 of which come from the Cote de Blanc (aka: “Chardonnay belt”). Very nice.

Posted from CellarTracker



NOSE: ridiculously complex and expressive Nose of leather, spice, orange oil, and a hint of diesel. The most beguiling Nose I’ve encountered in my limited experience of tasting Champagne.

BODY: orange-salmon color (raw salmon); medium bodied.

TASTE: complex flavors: leather; a hint of moldy cheese; earthy; not nearly as sweet as the N.V. Rose; a bit funky; raspberry; long finish. Easily the best Rose I’ve tasted (of the few I’ve had), and possibly the best Champagne I’ve ever had. Super delicious — retail price is a major bummer, though. All the Pinot Noir in this wine was vinified as still Pinot, which is perhaps why this seemed to come across more like a still Pinot than as a Champagne. What really amazed me was the fact that this wine is 84% Chardonnay!

Posted from CellarTracker

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Ruinart is a great visit. Absolutely beautiful caves.

Frederic Panaiotis is making great wines, a superstar. Older Ruinarts are treasures and hang in there with the best of the best. They are just hard to find. The vintage and NV Rose are probably my favorites of the lineup.

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This brings back great memories of my trip to Champagne last year. Ruinart was an absolute highlight, and I thought both the 98 Dom Ruinart BdB and the 96 Dom Ruinart Rose were delicious–such that I sought out some of the 98 BdB after returning to the states. Seeing the chalk cellars in Champagne has to be one of the more unique wine experiences.

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Thanks for the detailed notes, Brian. Not mundane in the slightest. Great read. Appreciate the report. Ruinart wines are just consistently good to me.

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Great read Brian. I just knocked down some Ruinart BdB last week. Good stuff!

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Brian,

When visiting, did they give any indication what is the next vintage that is going to be released for Dom Ruinart BdB?

I’m curious to know if 2000 is expected?

Thanks.

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Les, no such indication was made. Granted, none of those in attendance asked that question, so perhaps the winery would be willing to provide an answer with a quick email.

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Brian,

Thanks for the response. I did e-mail them, but haven’t heard back yet. I remembered this thread, and thought it might be worth a shot. If or when I hear back from them, I’ll pass it on.

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Cool. Thanks. [basic-smile.gif]

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I heard back from them today, and this is what they said:

“The next vintage of Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs will be from the acclaimed 2002 vintage, an excellent year which produced wines with great intensity and balance. It will be released towards the end of 2011 in most markets, and probably not before the beginning of 2012 in the US.”

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Cool. THanks.

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Impressions of a Ruinart-Vertical 1979-1998 in december 08.

http://www.snakvin.com/BB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3230&p=19457" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Great writeup Brian.

I wish their BdB were cheaper, I’d buy more of it. I’ve always found the NV Rose to taste sweet, did you get that impression at all? If not, I wonder if there’s a difference between US cuvees of that wine and what stays in Europe?

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Yes, I did. All things considered, most especially Flavor, I had a strong preference for the NV Billiot Rose over the NV Ruinart Rose.

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I find most of Ruinart’s NV wines to be perceptually sweet for my palate even without knowing the dosage. Billiot any day although a recent Billiot Rose is a distressing dark red color. Tasty though.

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This post is a great reason why you can’t just look at dosage as a number. Ruinart’s Rose is usually dosed a touch below the BdB and Billiot’s Rose is usually dosed a little higher than Ruinart’s Rose.

Personally I love all three wines mentioned above, but agree that the Billiot Rose often seems a bit drier than the Ruinart Rose - this is kind of bizarre if you think about it as Billiot usually doses higher and aims for riper grapes. Guess that is why you can’t rely on numbers and have to taste the wine!

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Guess that is why you can’t rely on numbers and have to taste the wine!

Exactly! That is why I put in “perceptually” because as you note it’s not always about the numbers. [cheers.gif]

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The 1996 Dom Ruinart Rosé is probably my favorite Brut Rosé to date. Incredible stuff.

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Interesting, I’ve never tried the Billiot Rose. Thanks for the data!