Ruinart's R de Ruinart is a champagne that brings together all three of Champagne's traditional grape varieties. Chardonnay brings freshness, Pinot Noir structure, and Meunier juicy fruit.
The cuvée is expressive, with fresh white fruit and stone fruit, lifted by toasty notes. This aromatic complexity is balanced by a rich, mouth-coating texture: it is the purest expression of the Ruinart style.
Offered here in a half bottle, it is a champagne you can pour as an aperitif, with cheese gougères for instance, and then enjoy again at the table alongside a lemon roast chicken.
The Terroir
R de Ruinart is a blend of:
- 45% Pinot Noir
- 40% Chardonnay
- 15% Meunier
These grapes come from 40 to 50 different crus (and so as many wine villages, each with its own soil and aspect). They are drawn from the terroirs of the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims, where Ruinart grows or buys its fruit.
This patchwork explains the balance of the wine. Each cru contributes a nuance specific to its site, and bringing them together smooths the rough edges of one through the generosity of another. No single village dominates: it is the complementarity of these two sub-regions that gives the cuvée its overall coherence, year after year.
On this terroir, Chardonnay gives the wine freshness and precision.
Winemaking
Caroline Fiot, Ruinart's chef de cave, has chosen to vinify R de Ruinart in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, meaning the temperature is kept under control throughout alcoholic fermentation. This neutral vessel adds no oak character and preserves the freshness of the fruit as well as the precision of the aromas.
Malolactic fermentation (the second fermentation, which converts the wine's sharp acidity into a softer one) is then carried through to completion: it rounds out the acidity and lends a velvety texture on the palate.
The wine then rests for 2 to 3 years in the cellar, giving its flavours time to meld and gain harmony. Finally, the dosage of 7 g/L, which places the cuvée in the Brut category, adds a touch of roundness while keeping the wine in balance.
A Non-Vintage Cuvée
Ruinart does not leave the style of R de Ruinart at the mercy of the weather: the cuvée is a blend of 40 to 50 crus (villages or vineyards of Champagne, each with its own character). This very wide palette makes it possible to achieve the same balance every year.
To this blend are added 20 to 30% reserve wines (wines from harvests of previous years, set aside to be blended later). They bring the maturity that the current year does not always provide. This is what guarantees the consistency of the House style from one year to the next.
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