Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 22/12/2008

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. This is Lot: ADONA6, disgorged October 2006. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2026.

Ruinart is Champagne’s oldest house, with a history that dates back to 1729. The wines are quite well-known around the world, but less so in the US, where the estate is making an effort to re-establish its presence. Today the wines are made under the guidance of Chef de Caves Frederic Panaiotis, who clearly has an outsize passion for these Champagnes as well as the house’s rich heritage. Although Ruinart is best known for their vintage Blanc de Blancs, the Rose is perhaps even more fascinating, particularly after a few years in bottle, which in important vintages allows for the Pinot Noir to speak with great eloquence. The Ruinart wines tend to be medium in body and are made with levels of dosage that are closer to the high end of the spectrum. Although the back labels show codes which can be tracked to disgorgement dates, it would be nice to see Ruinart provide disgorgement dates for its wines.