Champagne Dom Ruinart 2010 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs - Ruinart

Ruinart

The oldest Champagne house

Founded in September 1729 in Épernay, House Ruinart was the very first champagne house to be created. Not just in France but in the entire world. Its original founder, Nicolas Irénée Ruinart (1697-1769) was actually the nephew of the Benedict monk Dom Thierry Ruinart (1657-1709). The latter not only was well-traveled but he was also one of Dom Pierre Pérignon's (1639-1715) collaborators at some point. Dom Ruinart was privy to many conversations and he knew that the current talk of the town was that new sparkling wine made in the Champagne region. That's why he advised his nephew (who was then a simple draper) to start investing in this emerging market.

Nicolas listened and, with the help of his father, created his own champagne house. This was during the early French Age of Enlightenment, which meant that the general public was actively looking for products that could encapsulate the joie de vivre that was felt all across the country. Nicolas only sold a few hundreds of bottles the first year but then everything seemed to fall into place: in 1761, he was selling 36,000 bottles per year. Thus, Ruinart became synonymous with everything that was good and beautiful in the kingdom of France.

In 1764, the house also started selling a special champagne known as the "Partridge's Eye", in reference to its pinkish color. You guessed it: it was the very first rosé champagne ever created! During the late 18th century, Claude Ruinart, Nicolas' son, was the one in charge of the house. He decided to move the head office in Reims, where he bought a former underground chalk quarry. In these 8 kilometers of tunnels, located 40 meters under the earth, he stocked thousands of champagne bottles. This stone cathedral was the perfect natural wine cellar.

During the two following centuries, House Ruinart continued to represent French prestige. Many members of the Ruinart family (which officially became "Ruinart de Brimont" in 1817) were elected as the head of the business, such as Edmond, Edgard, Charles, André... They all had the same mission: to help Ruinart stay on top of the competition. The brand now belongs to the famous LVMH Group (owner of other huge alcohol brands like Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Krug, Yquem, Hennessy, Glenmorangie...) under the supervision of Mr. Bernard Arnault.

Discover the Ruinart champagne.