The R de Ruinart, from the house of Ruinart, is a champagne built around Chardonnay, the grape that gives it its finesse and elegance. The Chardonnay is complemented by Pinot Noir and Meunier.
A non-vintage cuvée, it shows white fruit, yellow fruit and a hint of white blossom. The texture is round and balanced, with a fruit that stays fresh and crisp right down to the last sip.
This is a bottle you can open at aperitif time, with cheese gougères or prawn tempura, say, before bringing it back to the table alongside a sole meunière or seared scallops.
The Terroir
The R de Ruinart is a blend of:
- 45% Pinot Noir
- 40% Chardonnay
- 15% Meunier
The grapes come from two neighbouring terroirs, the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs, where Ruinart grows and buys its fruit.
What sets it apart is the diversity of its origins: the blend brings together 40 to 50 different crus (a cru being a village and its terroir). Each has its own soil, aspect and microclimate, and so gives the grapes a slightly different expression. By combining so many nuances, the cuvée gains in complexity and keeps a steady balance from one edition to the next.
On this terroir, Pinot Noir brings structure and fruit to the wine, Chardonnay freshness and finesse, and Meunier roundness.
The vinification
Caroline Fiot, Ruinart's chef de cave, has chosen to vinify the R de Ruinart entirely in stainless steel tanks, a vessel that preserves the purity of the fruit and the vibrancy of each grape variety. The blend comprises 45% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 15% Meunier. Malolactic fermentation (the conversion of sharp acidity into a softer one) has been taken to completion: it rounds out the wine and lends it a velvety quality. The wine then rests for 2 to 3 years in the cellar, giving its components time to knit together harmoniously. The dosage of 7 g/L, within the Brut category, is a classic dosage: it adds a touch of roundness while leaving the wine all its liveliness.
A non-vintage cuvée
The R de Ruinart is not a portrait of a single year. It is a non-vintage cuvée, designed so that the House keeps the same style bottle after bottle, whatever the whims of the weather.
To achieve this, the blend draws on 20 to 30% reserve wines (wines from previous harvests, set aside to be used later). Coming from different years, they top up the wine of the current harvest, like a palette of shades at the cellar master's disposal.
If one year is cooler or more generous than another, these wines rebalance the whole. You therefore find the character of the cuvée from one bottle to the next.
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