Founded in 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart and inspired by his uncle, the Benedictine scholar Dom Thierry Ruinart, this is the oldest Champagne house in continuous operation and one of Reims’ great names. Pronounced “rwee-nar,” Ruinart built its reputation on clarity and finesse rather than brute force, long before “blanc de blancs” became a global shorthand for elegance. Today it sits within the Moët Hennessy (LVMH) portfolio, but the house identity remains crystal clear: luminous, fruit-pure Chardonnay framed by precision and texture.
The spiritual home is underground: vast fourth-century chalk quarries (crayères) beneath Reims, now a UNESCO-listed site, where bottles mature at a steady cool temperature and high humidity. That slow, calm ageing is central to the style—fine bubbles, silkier mousse, and the creamy brioche and chalk-dust notes that unfold without heaviness. In the winery the emphasis is on stainless steel clarity, generous lees ageing and a modern, restrained Brut dosage to keep lines clean and saline.
Ruinart’s flagship is Blanc de Blancs, 100% Chardonnay drawn largely from the Côte des Blancs and the north-facing limestone of the Montagne de Reims. It’s the reference for the house: luminous citrus and white peach, delicate florals, fresh almond and a cool, chalky finish. R de Ruinart (the NV Brut) adds Pinot Noir and Meunier for breadth and spice, while Ruinart Rosé blends Chardonnay with Pinot Noir—partly vinified as still red—for rosehip, wild strawberry and blood-orange lift without sacrificing cut.
At the summit sits Dom Ruinart, the vintage prestige cuvée first released from 1959. Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is grand-cru Chardonnay—Avize, Le Mesnil and peers—given long lees time for layered citrus oils, toasted hazelnut, sea-spray minerality and an almost tensile drive. Dom Ruinart Rosé marries that spine with grand-cru Pinot Noir as red wine, yielding a deeper, saffron-tinged, small-berry complexity. Both wines age superbly: ten to twenty years from vintage is common, and late-disgorged releases add honeyed, truffled nuance.
Serve Ruinart at 10–12 °C in white-wine glasses to unlock aromatics; pair the Blanc de Blancs with sashimi, tempura, scallops or goat’s cheese, and the Rosé with tuna, pigeon or summer fruit terrines. Beyond the glass, the house has leaned into lighter packaging and lower-impact choices in recent years, mirroring the Champagne it champions: crisp, pure, and thoughtfully made. For collectors and sommeliers alike, Ruinart remains what it has been for nearly three centuries—the bright, chalk-etched face of Chardonnay in Champagne.
