Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is deep and more layered than many with an already complex and sweet-smelling nutty and toasty edge; it really has a very deliberate, almost showy style of toasty character. It opens to revel in freshly squeezed lemon juice and peach fruits, grilled nuts and hints of spices and flowers. Very, very complex. The palate has compression and focus with really impressive acidity and a long, super-attractive mid-palate. There's an almost sherbet-like fresh layer in the midst of great depth, drive and focus. All the while, it retains a thread of creamy, fleshy fruit presence. Dosage is lowest ever for Dom Ruinart in 2004 at 5.5g per litre. A vintage Blanc de Blancs from exclusively Grand Cru vineyards: 69% Côte des Blancs and the balance from Montagne de Reims. This has spent 9 years on the lees and was disgorged in August 2014 (note multiple disgorgements of this vintage).
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Wine Spectator
Showing an impressive backbone of acidity, this is dense and powerful, yet harmonious overall. The fine, creamy mousse swathes the statuesque frame in a silky texture, with honeysuckle, graphite and hazelnut notes lending fragrant accents to the rich palate of baked white peach, toasted brioche, lemon confit and smoke. Drink now through 2030.
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Wine Enthusiast
The wine has a toasty character showing that it has considerable bottle age. The fruit has moved into the realm of secondary flavors with almonds, fresh bread and spice flavors. It is a delicious wine for those who like more mature Champagnes.
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is the emblem of the House, and it is the perfect expression of the Ruinart taste. It is comprised of 100% Chardonnay grapes grown primarily with Premiers Crus from the Côte de Blancs and Montagne de Reims terroirs, both prized for their aromatic finesse.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’