The House of Ruinart is unlike any other. It was the first established House of Champagne in 1729 and was inspired by the institution of a monk well ahead of his time.
Dom Thierry Ruinart was an intuitive, visionary, hardworking and modest Benedictine monk who lived from 1657-1709 and was a contemporary of Louis XIV. A brilliant theologian and historian at the age of 23, he left his home in Chamoagne to go to the Abbey of Saint Germain-des-Prés, one of the most influential centres of learning near Paris.
On September 1729, in Reims, at the heart of the Champagne region, Nicolas Ruinart drafted the founding charter of Maison Ruinart, creating the world’s first-ever champagne-producing company. In the mid-18th century, in order to store its bottles, Ruinart acquired its ancient crayères dug underneath the city of Reims. Ennobled and having taken the name Ruinart de Brimont in 1817, the family has run the House steadily for over two centuries.
Among the seven grape varities authorized under the rules protecting champagne production, the Chardonnay grape stands out for its sheer complexity. Its elegance and aromatic freshness make it the emblematic grape variety of Maison Ruinart. Chardonnay’s aromatic freshness makes it the golden thread that runs through the Ruinart Taste. This emblematic grape variety’s freshness is the essence of every Ruinart cuvée.
For the Ruinart, respect for the environment and the safeguarding of biodiversity are top priorities. Each grape harvest has a unique character fashioned by the terroir, its soils and sub-soils and the climatic conditions of each year, as the berries ripen and their specific aromas are released.
There are specific techniques that embody the history of Maison Ruinart and reveal the essential character fashioned by its exceptional expertise. The extraction of the must through a gentle and progressive pressing process maximizes the grapes’ aromatic potential.
The delicate chardonnay will display its richness after a slow maturation n the coolness of the Crayères (their chalk cellars) for up to 3 years for non-vintage wines and 9 – 10 years for a Dom Ruinart.