Dom Ruinart Rose 1996 750ml

Wine Advocate, Dec 22, 2008 by Antonio Galloni
The 1996 Brut Dom Ruinart Rose is a dense, shut-down wine that needs serious time in the cellar to come together. With additional bottle age, the Pinot character should emerge, as it almost always does. For now, this remains a structured Rose that only occasionally reveals the brilliance that it appears capable of, yet all of the ingredients are present for the 1996 to emerge as a brilliant Dom Ruinart Rose. Accordingly, my score represents the wine’s potential at maturity rather than where it is today.

Ruinart is a low profile, yet select, Champagne house which is steeped in history. It dates back to the 17th century, the time of the famous Dom Pérignon. It was founded in 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart in the city of Reims, the year after a Royal Decree in 1728 whereby Louis XV gave his consent for sparkling wines to be shipped in baskets containing 50 to 100 bottles.
This opened the gates of Europe to champagne and thus makes Ruinart the oldest Champagne House. Nicolas' uncle was Dom Thierry Ruinart, close friend to Dom Pérignon himself and an inspiration behind the creation of this house after the Dom’s death. Its Gallo-Roman chalk cellars are now a UNESCO-classified historical monument and every two years the finest sommeliers in Europe gather there to compete for the Trophée Ruinart.
Since the second world war the house has become synonymous with class and its production of only 1.7 million bottles per annum is small compared to other grande marques. It is now part of the LVMH group that also owns Moët & Chandon.