Ruinart: Defining "Elegant" Champagne

Post Summary

1. Monks, Champagne, and Capitalism
2. Bottle shape, riddling, and Roman chalk caves
3. Some great wines

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I love wine because it is ever-changing. I mean, every year you get a new story and there always seems to be new areas to explore. But though new-ness is great, one thing I love the most about wine is its history and traditions. 

For me, what's old is cool. So when I got the chance to have lunch with the folks from Maison Ruinart, the oldest established Champagne house (a.k.a. winery), I was thrilled.

Dom who? If you haven't heard of the House before, it's because Ruinart is less out-and-about than stuff like Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon, Piper Heidsieck, Dom Perignon, Bollinger, etc. Why? They're in shorter supply --  they are the smallest big house in Champagne.

For a little background, in 1729, Nicolas Ruinart began the House in homage to his winemaking monk uncle, Dom Thierry Ruinart (kind of scary, horror movie portrait, left). 

Dom Ruinart encouraged Nicolas to start a Champagne House, because he saw that Champagne had serious potential ($$$) after the fall of a ridiculously dumb law, which made it illegal to transport wine in anything but an oak cask or barrel. If you know about how Champagne is made (or if you want to peruse a post on it or listen to this podcast and find out) you know that this law made bubbly a strictly local product.

But with the legislative change, when the stuff could be commercially viable, Nicolas Ruinart found religion and started obeying his monk-cle. They set up shop and first shipped cases of wine in 1730.

They've come a long way but one thing Ruinart has kept the same: The bottle. It's got a skinny neck and is squat, not long and elegant like a Burgundy bottle. 

Why this design? Well in the early- to mid-1700s they didn't have riddling racks (those sandwich board type things that Champagne producers use to slowly turn the bottles until they're upside-down and can be popped open to release the dead yeast, which helped the bubble-inducing fermentation occur). So winemakers stuck the bottles in the floor of the caves, upside down, to get the yeast out. 

The proportions of the Ruinart bottle make this possible. If you take a regular Champagne bottle today and try to stick it neck down in the dirt or sand, you'd be out of luck. It may look different, but I give serious credit to Ruinart for keeping the design as a nod to the past, even though no family members work there and it's been owned by Moët Hennessy since the 1960s.

Another thing about Ruinart that's kind of awesome: they have the deepest cellars in Champagne. The cool, slightly humid underground tunnels keep the wine cold naturally. These "crayères" or chalk pits, which were originally dug out by the Romans became an historical monument in 1931.

I'm not going to be shy here: I love this Champagne House. There's a distinct reason. Dom Ruinart uses a bigger proportion of Chardonnay in its blends than other Houses. I can't tell you how much it matters. The only word that comes to mind when I taste the wines: elegant. They are so delicate and subtle, it's like liquid silk in your mouth.

When it comes to Ruinart, I've been spoiled. My first interaction with the wines was with the 1998 vintage wine (only in superb years is a vintage "declared" in Champagne and 1998 was a great one) and their Rosé. I still think about that vintage blanc de blanc. It was outstanding. 

This time around we didn't have the chance to taste the vintage stuff. Instead we had the wines for which they're best known: blanc de blanc (white from white, or 100% Chardonnay) and the brut rosé (45% Chardonnay, 55% Pinot Noir). They're more expensive than some of the cuvees of other houses, but it's so worth it!

They are both resounding "Drinks" so I'm not putting in the "drink or sink" section here.

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The Wine: Ruinart Blanc de Blancs

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Where it's from: Mostly sourced from Premier Cru vineyards (the second best vineyards as graded by the Champagne governing body) in Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims.

Vintage: The wine is a blend -- 75% to 80% is from the current year, 20 - 25% of the mix is from the two previous years

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: $70

Quick note: A pale golden color with a really small bubble that lasted until I downed the glass. 

The wine smelled like lemons and a baguette. It had high acid and was light, delicate, spritzy and citrusy. The bread and floral flavors combined with the lime and chalky notes made this refreshing. But what I love most about this wine: it was fabulously delicate, acidic, light, but layered in flavor. 

I'm sure it would have been outstanding with fish, but I had to settle for potato chips (the salad wasn't a great pairing) and it was awesome (stay tuned for our podcast on pairings with everyday food...coming in a few weeks). 

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The Wine: Ruinart Rosé

Grapes: 45% Chardonnay, 55% Pinot Noir

Where it's from: Mostly sourced from Premier Cru vineyards in Montagne de Reims and Cote de Blancs. 

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: $70

Quick note: A beautiful bright pink -- like a pink grapefruit with tiny bubbles. It smelled like a pink grapefruit too and a strawberry. There was a gardenia flower smell with some yeast and chalk.

The wine had light berry flavors (strawberry, raspberry), pronounced acid, and a mineral flavor. It had on-going bubbles but not the kind that get into your nose -- totally subtle. Like the white, this wine was delicate, mild, but still full of flavor. 

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If you get a chance to try these wines, know that their elegance and subtlety is their hallmark. Don't expect huge flavor or obvious smells. These wines are more for analysis -- you have to think about them to appreciate them. 

Thanks to the folks at Moët and Dom Ruinart for hosting a great lunch! 

Please drop a comment below if you have questions or if you've had this wine and want to add something!

**All photos courtesy of Dom Ruinart and Moët Hennessey.