Ruinart

Located on Rue de Crayère in Reims, the House of Ruinart boasts a distinction that no other champagne producer can claim: it is the world’s very first champagne house, founded in 1729. Almost 300 years later, it is part of the LVMH group, produces around two million bottles a year and remains focused on a single grape variety, Chardonnay, around which every cuvée in the range is built.

History

The history dates back to a Benedictine monk named Dom Thierry Ruinart, a friend of Dom Perignon, who was one of the first to recognise the potential of sparkling wine. His nephew Nicolas was a textile merchant in Reims. When, in May 1728, King Louis XV issued a decree permitting the transport of wine in bottles for the first time, something that had previously only been possible in barrels, Nicolas immediately set to work. On 1 September 1729, he opened his first account book dedicated to ‘sparkling wine’, founding Maison Ruinart, the first commercial champagne house. The first consignment of sparkling wine was dispatched in January 1730.

The Ruinart family passed the house down from generation to generation over the course of two centuries. In 1764, they shipped the first rosé champagne in history. André Ruinart asked Alfons Mucha to make an advertisement, which later became one of the most widely reproduced Art Nouveau images in history. In 1963, Ruinart was acquired by LVMH.

Vineyards

The house’s main vineyard is a 40-hectare plot in Taissy, a Premier Cru village near Reims, mentioned in the house’s own archives as far back as 1733. It is planted predominantly with Chardonnay, with vines ranging in age from 6 to 18 years, and is one of the few vineyards in Champagne comprising a single plot.

The second historic plot is located in Sillery, one of the oldest Grand Crus documented in records and the only Chardonnay Grand Cru classified in the immediate vicinity of Reims itself, which still belongs to the descendants of the Ruinart family.

Since 2014, both vineyards have held ‘High Environmental Value’ and ‘Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne’ certifications.

Terroir

The Côte des Blancs, stretching south from Épernay, is the spiritual home of Chardonnay in Champagne, with deep chalky soils that regulate water supply and produce wines of precision and tension. Montagne de Reims lends the wines power and structure.

The house’s chalk cellars, acquired in 1768 and of Gallo-Roman origin, extend 38 metres below street level and stretch for 8 kilometres beneath the town. The constant temperature of 11 °C in the cellars makes them ideal for the long, slow ageing of reserve wines and prestigious cuvées.

Grape varieties

Chardonnay is the house’s signature variety, present in all cuvées and dominant in most of them. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are used in some blends as supporting varieties. The prestigious Dom Ruinart range is made from 100% Chardonnay.

Winemaking

The grapes come mainly from the Côte des Blancs, from Grand Cru villages including Avize, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, as well as from the Montagne de Reims. Wines from the reserve of previous vintages are added to the cuvée without specifying the vintage year to maintain consistent quality.

The dosage is deliberately kept low across the entire range, which enhances the fresh, mineral character for which the house is renowned. The prestigious Dom Ruinart cuvées are aged on the lees for an average of ten years before disgorgement.

Wines

The range is divided into non-vintage and vintage lines.

The non-vintage line comprises three cuvées: Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, 100% Chardonnay; Ruinart Rosé, approximately 45% Chardonnay and 55% Pinot Noir; and R de Ruinart Brut, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, with a minimum of 40% Chardonnay and 25% reserve wines.

The prestigious Dom Ruinart range includes Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, 100% Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, aged for around ten years; and Dom Ruinart Rosé, based on the same Blanc de Blancs blend with the addition of around 16% Pinot Noir from Verzenay and Verzy, first released in 1962.

In certain years, a vintage R de Ruinart is also produced.