Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Champagne, 2004, 75cL, Sparkling WineBy Winebuyers

Dom Ruinart, Blanc de Blancs, is the pinnacle of the Ruinart range, named after Thierry Ruinart, a native of Champagne who became a renowned scholarly monk and was the uncle and great inspiration to Nicolas Ruinart, the founder of Champagne Ruinart. This champagne is drawn from only Grand Cru vineyards on both the best villages of the Cotes-de-Blancs and parts of villages of the Montagne-de-Reims. The house style is delicate and reductive with a purity and crispness of structure throughout the range that is very distinctively Ruinart, particularly in the LVMH collection. This makes the range perfect for ageing further, from non-vintage through to the prestige vintage Blanc de Blancs. The oldest Champagne house of all is now a rather quieter, and unpretentious member of the LVMH portfolio, situated behind more illustrious-looking Champagne Houses but sitting above some of the deepest and stunning crayeres in Reims. A quiet achiever perhaps, with a women's or unisex appeal.