Ruinart

Ruinart was founded in 1729 in Reims by Nicolas Ruinart, a cloth merchant who established the house in honor of his uncle Dom Thierry Ruinart, a Benedictine monk and scholar of the same era. Nicolas first gifted vin de Champagne to his family's cloth-business clients before abandoning textiles for wine around 1735. The house entered its founding charter on 1 September 1729, with its first sparkling deliveries the following January. Ruinart predates competitors like Moët (1743) and Veuve Clicquot (1772) by decades, making it the oldest established Champagne house.

• Founded 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart, a Reims cloth merchant
• Named in honor of his uncle Dom Thierry Ruinart, Benedictine monk (1657-1709)
• Founding charter entered 1 September 1729; first deliveries January 1730
• Predates Moët (1743) and Veuve Clicquot (1772) by decades

Ruinart's Reims cellars are among the deepest crayères in Champagne, Gallo-Roman in origin and acquired by the house in 1768. The chalk caves descend up to 38 meters below the city and run roughly 8 kilometers long, providing a constant 10-12C cellar temperature year-round and a humid environment ideal for extended bottle aging on lees. The Saint-Nicaise Hill crayères in Reims, of which Ruinart's are a component, were inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage designation 'Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars' on 4 July 2015. The Maison hosts cellar tours that descend through the historic chalk network.

• Gallo-Roman in origin; acquired by the house in 1768
• Chalk caves descend up to 38 meters below Reims, roughly 8 km long
• Constant 10-12C cellar temperature ideal for extended autolysis
• Inscribed as part of UNESCO World Heritage designation in 2015

Ruinart's commercial identity has long been built around Chardonnay-led cuvées, distinguishing the Maison's prestige and signature wines from Pinot-dominant competitors. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV is 100% Chardonnay, with extended bottle aging giving the cuvée a chalk-driven length unusual at its price point. The classic entry tier, now sold as Ruinart Brut (formerly R de Ruinart), is by contrast Pinot-Noir-forward: official figures put it at Pinot Noir 40-45%, Chardonnay around 40%, and Meunier 10-15%, with reserve wines from the two preceding years. Dom Ruinart is the prestige tier: a vintage 100% Chardonnay blanc de blancs sourced roughly 90% from Côte des Blancs Grand Cru villages including Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, with the remainder from Sillery, aged at length before release.

• Chardonnay-led signature and prestige cuvées define the house identity
• Ruinart Brut (formerly R de Ruinart): Pinot-Noir-forward classic, PN 40-45% / Chard 40% / Meunier 10-15%
• Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV: 100% Chardonnay with extended bottle aging
• Dom Ruinart: vintage 100% Chardonnay, ~90% from Côte des Blancs Grand Cru villages

Ruinart pairs its heritage with a distinctive bottle silhouette drawn from the Maison's eighteenth-century archive shapes, intended to differentiate it visually from the standard Champagne bottle. The Maison runs a well-known annual contemporary art commission program, positioning Ruinart as Champagne's art-and-design-aligned brand within the LVMH portfolio. The program complements rather than competes with Ruinart's older sister houses inside the group, reinforcing a distinct cultural identity for the brand.

• Distinctive bottle silhouette drawn from eighteenth-century archive shapes
• Annual contemporary art commission program
• Marketing program positions Ruinart as Champagne's art-and-design brand
• Distinct LVMH portfolio positioning complementing Moët, Krug, Veuve Clicquot

Ruinart's range is anchored by Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV (100% Chardonnay), which has become the Maison's most internationally recognized cuvée. Ruinart Brut, the classic entry tier formerly sold as R de Ruinart, provides the Pinot-Noir-forward volume face; Ruinart Rosé NV is a rosé d'assemblage with Chardonnay forming the majority of the blend and a red-wine addition; Dom Ruinart Vintage and Dom Ruinart Rosé occupy the prestige tier. Caroline Fiot serves as chef de cave, effective 1 January 2026, succeeding Frédéric Panaïotis, chef de cave from 2007 to 2025. The house style emphasizes Chardonnay focus and chalk-driven freshness, with Ruinart's stylistic position the Chardonnay-led blanc de blancs benchmark within the major-Maison tier.