Dom Ruinart Rosé Ruinart, 1996

Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996 is a rare, late-disgorged prestige cuvée from one of Champagne’s most historic houses, offered here in a beautifully mature, yet vibrant phase of its life. Crafted primarily from grand cru Chardonnay with a carefully judged addition of Pinot Noir, it delivers depth, finesse and nuance in equal measure. This is a benchmark rosé Champagne from an outstanding vintage, sought after by collectors and serious Champagne lovers for its complexity, longevity and unmistakable Ruinart elegance.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996 shows a luminous, deep salmon-pink hue with copper and amber highlights, framed by an ultra-fine, persistent bead. The evolved color hints at its age and depth, while the mousse remains energetic and refined. The nose is layered and expansive: wild strawberries, dried raspberries and blood orange peel mingle with notes of rose petals, dried flowers, toasted brioche and almond. With air, more tertiary nuances emerge—truffle, leather, smoky tea, candied citrus and a gentle, chalky mineral presence. On the palate, this Champagne is both powerful and graceful. The 1996 vintage’s hallmark acidity provides a precise, almost crystalline backbone, supporting generous flavors of red berries, poached stone fruit, orange zest and pomegranate. Secondary and tertiary notes—hazelnut, cocoa nibs, dried fig, spice and a saline, chalk-driven minerality—add real complexity. The texture is creamy yet taut, with a long, mouthwatering finish that fans out in layers of fruit, spice and chalk. Properly stored bottles of Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996 are still in an excellent drinking window, with the structure and acidity to continue evolving for several more years, though it is now squarely in its mature, peak-drinking phase for most palates.

Production
Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996 is composed mainly of grand cru Chardonnay from some of Champagne’s most prized villages—such as Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Chouilly—blended with a proportion of Pinot Noir (both as red wine and in some vintages as a blanc base) from grand cru sites like Verzenay or Aÿ. These chalk-rich slopes give the wine its signature tension, minerality and aging capacity. Grapes are harvested by hand to ensure optimal selection and gentle handling, and pressing is done delicately to preserve purity of juice and avoid harsh phenolics. The base wines are vinified in stainless steel to retain freshness, followed by careful blending of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir red wine to achieve the desired color, aromatic profile and structure. The cuvée then undergoes a long secondary fermentation and extended aging on lees—commonly over a decade for Dom Ruinart—developing the fine mousse, layered autolytic notes and remarkable complexity that define this prestige rosé. Dosage is kept in balance with the naturally high acidity of the 1996 vintage, resulting in a Champagne that feels both rich and rigorously structured.

Food & Serving
With its depth and maturity, Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996 pairs beautifully with refined, flavor-intensive dishes. Think roasted duck with cherries or orange, veal with morel cream, pigeon or squab, and game birds with berry or truffle accents. It also shines alongside rich seafood preparations such as lobster in bisque or shellfish with saffron cream, as well as aged hard cheeses and mildly washed-rind cheeses. Serve chilled but not too cold—around 10–12°C (50–54°F)—to allow the full aromatic spectrum to unfold. Decanting very mature Champagnes is a matter of style; for this wine, a gentle pour into a large-bowled white wine or Champagne glass and 15–20 minutes in the glass is usually enough to let it open, though a brief, careful decant can be beneficial if the wine is particularly youthful for its age.

Producer
Founded in 1729, Ruinart is widely recognized as the oldest established Champagne house, rooted in the visionary spirit of Nicolas Ruinart and inspired by the teachings of his uncle, the Benedictine monk Dom Thierry Ruinart. Based in Reims, the house is renowned for its deep affinity with Chardonnay, which lends purity, finesse and luminosity to its wines, and for its iconic chalk cellars—UNESCO-listed crayères—dug deep into the ancient limestone subsoil. Dom Ruinart, created as the prestige cuvée in the 20th century, represents the pinnacle of the house’s savoir-faire, with Dom Ruinart Rosé being its richly expressive counterpart to the blanc. Over the decades, Ruinart has cemented its reputation as a benchmark producer in Champagne, especially admired for the elegance, precision and ageworthiness of its top cuvées, of which the 1996 Dom Ruinart Rosé is a standout example from one of the region’s legendary vintages.