Champagne & Sparkling

Ruinart was the first Champagne house, founded in 1729. Its cuvées are dominated by Chardonnay, which brings vibrance and finesse to the wines, key to the Ruinart style. Ruinart’s prestigious Dom Ruinart vintage bottlings pay tribute to an early Champagne visionary and fountainhead of the house.

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"In the name of God and the Holy Virgin, shall this book be opened…” With these words, written by Nicolas Ruinart in September 1st, 1729, the House of Ruinart was officially established. A true entrepreneur, Nicolas Ruinart fulfilled the ambition of his uncle, the Benedictine monk Dom Thierry Ruinart, to make Ruinart the premier Champagne House.

Dom Thierry Ruinart (1657–1709), a Benedictine Monk in the 17th century (who is buried in the same church as his contemporary Dom Pérignon), was one of the most brilliant minds of his day. He was the first to predict the importance of Champagne production. On his travels through Europe, he noticed a growing enthusiasm for Champagne in the aristocratic circles of the Royal Courts. His family was a high society Champagne family that was trading wool at the time. Based on his travels and observations Ruinart encouraged his brother Nicolas to pursue a career in Champagne, but it took a royal decree for the vision to become a reality. On May 25, 1728, King Louis XV of France revolutionized the world of wine when he authorized the transport of wine in bottles. Prior to that time, wine could only be sold in casks, which was, obviously, out of the question for Champagne.


Through the centuries, those at the helm of the House of Ruinart have always shared a singular, pioneering spirit. In 1831, the great grandson of the founder, Edmond Ruinart, opened the doors to the American market. After a 38-day passage across the Atlantic Ocean, he personally introduced Ruinart to President Andrew Jackson and the rest of the United States.

Over the decades, Ruinart’s fundamental values of authenticity, quality, refinement and openness have fortified its distinctive culture and art, and established its worldwide reputation as a true aesthete in its approach to champagne. Ruinart is a resounding success made possible by the perceptiveness of its initiator, Dom Ruinart, to whom the House paid a tribute in 1959 by creating the historic, prestigious Dom Ruinart vintage.


“Somewhere between ethics and expertise lies the art of Ruinart’s know-how.”

A pioneer in the champagne trade, the House has also stood out due to its unique know-how. The cellar master oversees the development of the wine with an expert hand, from the selection of the grapes to the way the bottles are labeled and packaged. Through carefully selected grapes and wines fermented separately then skillfully blended, Ruinart excels in the art of transforming still wine into exceptional Champagne.

Since its beginning, Ruinart's fundamental values of authenticity, quality, refinement and openness have solidified its worldwide reputation as a true aesthete in its approach to Champagne.

Ruinart was the first house to acquire its crayères (chalk caves) for aging its wines. The depth of the pits and the chalk from which they are formed provide the perfect environment for Champagne with temperature stability and optimal humidity. The constant low temperature (approx. 52º F) leads to a slow prise de mousse (the formation of effervescence), resulting in millions of tiny bubbles of incomparable finesse and quality. (It is estimated that there are almost 50 million bubbles in a bottle of French Champagne!)


Ruinart key dates
1729: First established Champagne House
1831: First import in the USA, the first consumer being the President of the USA
1959: Creation of Dom Ruinart vintage

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Like an uncut diamond, the Chardonnay grape lends sparkle to the Ruinart wines. The Ruinart House excels in the art of handling this very special grape variety with its renowned vivacity. Chardonnay, the dominant grape variety used in all Ruinart cuvées, is the very essence of the Ruinart taste and is the foundation of the Ruinart style. Grown in the Côte des Blancs and the Montage de Reims vineyards, the grape lends its inherent finesse, elegance and purity to every Ruinart wine. These Chardonnay-based blends are subtle and vibrant when young, and develop aromatic complexity over time.
The House paid tribute to its founding visionary in 1959 when it released the debut of its prestigious Dom Ruinart vintage.
A bold step on the part of the Ruinart House, since developing Chardonnay-based blends can be a risky business. Chardonnay gives the Ruinart cuvées an exceptional taste indeed, but it requires a unique know-how specific to the House. In fact, the fragility of this grape variety, which is quite difficult to make into wine, and the length of aging required to produce its exceptional body and finesse, once again requires the expertise of the cellar master to reveal the magic of the Ruinart taste. A refined, distinguished taste with clean, light, pure aromas…



Over time, the exceptional qualities of the Chardonnay grape continue to work inside the Ruinart bottles. This grape variety makes blends, which when consumed young, are both subtle and vibrant and which develop their aromatic complexity over time. At Ruinart, our non-vintage cuvées, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and Ruinart Rosé, age for at least 3 years, which is more than twice the legal time to make Champagne (15 months is the minimum time required). A Dom Ruinart vintage-dated Champagne will age at least 10 years in the cellar.
The remarkable qualities of the Chardonnay grape has given rise to what is commonly called "Goût Ruinart" (that is a unique Champagne defined by elegance and finesse), an inimitable, universally recognized taste.
“A taste with the scent of excellence that has earned Ruinart its position as the aesthete of Champagne, offering sensual pleasure and absolute refinement.”

"Ruinart, an initiation into the world of aesthetics"

Ruinart's art is to sublimate the raw material and turn it into the finest work of art: exceptional Champagne. Ruinart awakens the sensibilities of Champagne lovers and initiates alike, and reveals to all the expression of Champagne to its finest, most accomplished and perfected form. Ruinart Champagne takes you into a world of sophistication and distinction, in which timeless elegance rubes with the most modern examples of creative daring. The word ‘aesthete' sums up perfectly the spirit of the purity, luminosity and perfection of Ruinart Champagnes, the fundamental characteristics that makes the Ruinart signature. A signature that Ruinart puts in all its wines, all of which comes into the characteristic Ruinart bottle, shaped after the 18th century bottle.

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Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
Made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes from Premiers Crus, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is smooth and rounded on the palate. It is a balanced wine that demonstrates both finesse and power, with a beautiful luminous pale gold color, enhanced by the elegance of its clear bottle. A perfect summer aperitif Champagne, delectable sipped by the pool or on a sunny terrace.


Ruinart Rosé
A blend of 45% Chardonnay and 55% Pinot Noirs from Premiers Crus only, Ruinart Rosé is an elegant, smooth, balanced, and fruity wine with plenty of body, with the distinctive Ruinart taste due to a high concentration of Chardonnay grapes.


Dom Ruinart
Dom Ruinart, the visionary spirit of the oldest Champagne House, was the inspiration for this exceptional cuvée. It is a rare expression from the most noble of Chardonnay, a magical experience, and a genuine feast for the senses. Dom Ruinart is always a vintage, blended exclusively from Grands Crus Chardonnays grown in the vineyards of the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims.


Dom Ruinart Rosé
Dom Ruinart Rosé is a unique wine in the Rosé Champagne category. It is always a vintage, made out of Grands Crus grapes only, with an unexpected proportion of Chardonnay. Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996 is a blend of 84% Grands Crus Chardonnays and 16% Grands Crus Pinot Noirs, from Verzenay and Verzy.

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