The rosé prestige cuvée of Champagne Ruinart, Dom Ruinart Rosé, is a Grand Cru only blend of Dom Ruinart Chardonnay topped off with 15-20% red wine from the Montagne de Reims. Since the first vintage in 1966, this cuvée is consistently ranked amongst the greatest rosés on the market. The Pinot Noir red wine is sourced from the Grand Cru villages of Sillery and Verzenay and macerated on the skins for nine days before pressing, extracting the pink colour and soft fruit tannins. Blending this red wine into the assemblage gives a rosé with a vibrant, deep coral colour.

Weather: 1988 weather conditions in Champagne have always been compared to the more favourable 1989, nonetheless, given now it has had added ageing this vintage is coming into its own. The spring was mild with little rain and frost; therefore bud burst was good. The early summer months were slightly dull, however August saw lots of sun. September is always the saviour for most Champagne harvests, but in 1988 there was plenty of rain. The grapes however fared well and this patience is now being rewarded.

News Article: Read the write-up of our Dom Ruinart Rosé Vertical Tasting with Chef de Cave Frédéric Panaïotis here.

Technical Information:
Grape Varieties: 80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir
Dosage: 5.5 g/L
Drink: Now to 2022

Tasting Note: Bold aromas of red currants and blackberries on the nose, a sweeter palate that is dense and opulent. The maturity of this rosé is evident and it shows with bundles of strawberries mixed with toasted brioche notes on the palate. The champagne is now drinking about at the peak of its maturity and likely at its peak for a few years; drink now.

Although not the oldest wine estate in the region, Ruinart holds the title of the oldest established Champagne House. Dom Thierry Ruinart, friend and confidant of Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon, foretold that the new "wine with bubbles" being developed in his native region of Champagne was destined for a bright future and encouraged his nephew Nicolas Ruinart to enter the trade. When Louis XV declared that champagne could henceforth be sold in bottles instead of barrels, Nicolas heeded his uncle's advice and founded Champagne Ruinart in 1729.

Famed for their affinity for the white-grape variety, Chardonnay dominates the blend in all of Ruinart's finest cuvées, even their prestige rosé. Favouring the reductive style, they use a pneumatic press to guard the juice against oxidation and deploy nitrogen gas to protect the wine at every production stage. They are also adverse to oak and vinify all of their wines in stainless-steel tanks. Cosmopolitan and savvy, Ruinart produce approachable, muscular and vinous champagnes that deserve recognition beyond the trade industry within which they are currently most well-known.

The longest-established Champagne house of all, Ruinart has an affinity with chardonnay's freshness, finesse and elegance and all of its finest cuvées lead with this variety, even its prestige rosé. ""We hate oxygen!"" declares Frederic Panaïotis, Chef de Cave; Ruinart use a pneumatic press to guard the juice against oxidation and nitrogen gas to protect the wine at every production stage. They are also adverse to oak; vinification only takes place in stainless steel. This meticulous attention to detail along with the distinctive rounded bottles, give Ruinart its well-deserved reputation. Ruinart's Crayeres were dug by hand - the deepest measuring 38 meters in height beneath the vault - and their numerous tunnels criss-cross over a length of more than eight kilometres.

Cellar Master: Frédéric Panaïotis
Winery Location: Reims | Champagne, France
Champagne Region: Montagne de Reims
Annual Production (bottles): Undisclosed