Ruinart : Dom Ruinart 1996

This vintage is exceptional. The Champagne House Ruinart succeeded in containing the essential great promises of this vintage. Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 1996 reproduces the beautiful acidity and the great ripeness of the Chardonnays from Grand Cru villages. On the nose, it is broad, complete and rich, with notes of honey and caramel without any olfactory heaviness. The taste has a beautiful aromatic and gustatory freshness, still with a rich mid-palate, yet very aery. It is a very complex champagne which a juvenile character foreshadowing beautiful prospects. The Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 1996 is a blend of 60% Chardonnay from the famous Côte des Blancs ( Avize,Chouilly, Le Mesnil) and of Chardonnay of which 40% comes from the Montagne de Reims (Sillery, Puisieulx, Verzenay, Mailly).

Wine Advocate-Parker :
The 1996 Brut Dom Ruinart Vintage has just begun to develop some of the tertiary notes that are commonly found in this wine. The 1996 is a large-scaled Dom Ruinart that boasts notable intensity and purity in its ripe varietal fruit. With some time in the glass, notes of licorice, mint, spices, minerals and smoke come forward, adding further complexity. The 1996 looks to be a stellar Dom Ruinart: This is Lot: ADKTA3, disgorged March 2006. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019.