Dom Ruinart Rosé 2007: New release tasted

With a distinguished history dating back to 1729 and a strong claim to be the oldest of all Champagne houses, Ruinart commemorates its founder – a monk like Dom Pérignon – with its deluxe Dom range, which is seen by many as even better than its famous LVMH sibling.

The quality is largely down to the brilliance of the winemaker, Frédéric Panaïotis, who came to London this week to launch the Dom Ruinart Rosé from 2007, his first vintage at the helm.2007 was a rather unusual year, its warm and promising start never really built upon by a dull and somewhat lacklustre summer. Despite this, the harvest was early, the first grapes harvested at the end of August, and the quality, of the Chardonnay in particular, was generally impressive.The Dom Ruinart Rosé, in point of fact, is predominantly Chardonnay; the only red wine used being the 20% which has been added to assemble the final blend, its provenance in 2007 the village of Aÿ. In 2004, the red wine came from Sillery.

The Chardonnay comes mainly from the Côte des Blancs, the grand cru villages of Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Chouilly and Oger providing the majority of the fruit, with additional grapes sourced in the Montagne de Reims villages of Verzenay and Sillery.

The wine undergoes a full malolactic conversion, but Fréd is keen to maintain and develop a style which is pure and fresh, so purposely avoids flavours from the bready and biscuit end of the spectrum.

The dosage is a modest 4.5g/l of sugar, once again allowing the fruit full and eloquent expression. The style is thus finely chiseled and supple, and the register of the fruit is persuasive but not overwhelming.

A comparison with the 2004 is instructive: the 2007 is a little more savoury and less spicy, these facets reversed in the older 2004. The 2007 at the moment could be said to be playing in a major key, whereas 2004 inclines towards the minor key. Both are extremely accomplished and complementary.

Fréd is especially interested by the colour of his wines, so much so that he rather flamboyantly wears a pocket square decorated in various shades of pink for this tasting, and he charts the evolution of the colour graphically, equating the developments of colour with those of aromatics and flavour – as a complete package in other words.

It is certainly intriguing to compare the vibrant pink of the ‘basic’ Ruinart with the magisterial copper to bronze tints achieved over time by Dom Ruinart. In the entire ensemble nothing is forced and there is an aura of supreme confidence shared by the winemaker and the wine alike.

The tasting of this terrific new release more than justifies such self-belief. Dom Ruinart Rosé once again confirms its position at the very apex of the hierarchy of the deluxe category.

Tasting Dom Ruinart Rosé: 2007, 2004 & 1990

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