2010 Dom Ruinart

The first vintage since the 1960s to see tirage under natural cork in lieu of crown caps, the 2010 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs was disgorged in November 2021. It's showing nicely, over-performing for the vintage, displaying aromas of yellow orchard fruit, toasted nuts, spices, smoke, dried white flowers and iodine. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and layered, with impressive concentration and chalky structure, it concludes with a long, saline finish. William Kelley. August 2022.

Here, Fred has deviated from the classic Dom Ruinart style a bit. The main difference is that the wine is stored with natural cork instead of under a cap. It produces richer and more concentrated wines, partly because cork is actually oak and that it in itself gives a feeling of oak barrels. Rich burgundy style perfect to exchange for a nice Meursault for nice fish dish. Maybe not as crystal clear and coffee roasted as usual but extremely dense for being a 2010. March 2023.

The 2010 Dom Ruinart is starting to open up nicely. There's still plenty of the intense, chalky minerality and energy the wine showed last year, but also a bit more mid-palate richness to balance things out. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, slate and white pepper are some of the many aromas and flavors that take shape in the glass. As good as the 2010 is today, I imagine it will be even better in another few years' time. As I have written previously, the 2010 Dom Ruinart is one of the most impressive Champagnes ever made here. If there is anything better, I don't think I have tasted it! March 2023

Overall 2010 was not a great year in Champagne, but it was for some Chardonnays, as this brilliant Dom Ruinart showcases. At Ruinart, the speciality is closing with natural cork for lees ageing, but this is the first time for Dom Ruinart in the recent era. It has resulted in fabulous ageing with stunning reductive toasty layers. The sweet coffee-and-cream nose has yeasty complexities melanging with soft, spicy tones like coconut and vanilla. The fruitiness is as pristine as it gets. Lemon curd, lime zest, orange blossom... Beautifully reductive in the aroma profile, almost like having the magnum effect in a 75cl bottle! So fine and delicious on the silky-smooth and seemingly feather-light palate. This wine shows that Chardonnay really had what it takes in that difficult year. A stunning wine that is blooming already but comes with such cool refinement and tightness that longevity is easy to predict. Disgorged 11/20; dosage 6g/l

Delicate nutty expressions of blanched almonds and warm biscuits on the nose, accompanied by notes of lemon oil, spring flowers, pastry, pear and exotic fruit. A hint of reduction in the form of a smoky element, attributable to the fact that the cellar ageing of this Champagne was carried out under cork rather than with the usual crown cap. On the palate, this Champagne is medium- to full-bodied and well balanced, with good textural vinosity, but there is also delicacy thanks to its pinpoint mousse. There is a mouthwatering touch of bitterness on the long, resonating finish. This is a Champagne with real ageing potential that has both the powerful character and elegance of a Burgundy grand cru wine. 100% Chardonnay sourced from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Chouilly and Cramant (90%) and 10% from Sillery, situated in the northeast of the Montagne de Reims sector. Dosage: 4g/l. Yohan Castaing. June 2022.