Ruinart has released Dom Ruinart 2010, the quintessential Blanc de Blancs. The aromatic freshness of chardonnay grapes so characteristic of Ruinart takes on even more depth and complexity after more than 10 years of carefully monitored maturation deep in the Maison’s chalky rock cellars in Reims.
The nose opens with powdery, floral notes of iris, joined by mineral notes of wet rock, evoking the chypre register in the world of fragrances. Toasted and spicy notes then dominate with delicate and intense nutmeg mace, roasted hazelnut and almond, plus a hint of coffee. On the palate, aromas of fig leaves mingle with notes of black tea and fresh spices (Sil-Timur berries and Mahaleb). The wine develops with a fresh finish elevated by an elegant bitterness.
Dom Ruinart 2010 is also the fruit of exacting efforts to push the ageing of the wine further and let it express even greater amplitude and complexity. For this exceptional cuvée, the winemaking team decided to return to two once common traditional practices – ageing under cork and manual disgorging. In 2010 Ruinart decided to replace metal crown caps with cork for Dom Ruinart and extend the period during which the bottles were left to age on the lees. Tastings over the years proved this intuition to be very prescient.
Very little suggested that 2010 would be a great year. A very cold winter was followed by a dry spring and early summer, then abundant rain in August, resulting in rot that arrived in the fall. And yet the fragility of nature resulted in a champagne born of unexpected aromatic complexity.
The epitome of a Blanc de Blancs champagne, Dom Ruinart 2010 celebrates the exceptional savoir-faire of winemakers.
© Atelier Mai 98, Romain Guitett, Thomas Duval