Ruinart Champagne

Ruinart was founded in Reims in 1729, and the house is preparing its tercentenary there, in 2029. Remaining family-owned until 1963, it was then taken over by Moët & Chandon, and later joined the LVMH group when it was created, in 1987.

Nicolas Ruinart is the nephew of Dom Thierry Ruinart, a Benedictine monk and contemporary of Dom Pérignon. In 1728, a royal decree authorised the transport of wine in bottles, which opened up the champagne trade. On 1 September 1729, Nicolas drew up the founding deed of his house in Reims. It initially ran textiles and wine side by side, before abandoning textiles in 1736. In 1764, it shipped its first bottles of rosé champagne, then known as "œil de perdrix".

Is Ruinart really the oldest? Yes, as a champagne house. Gosset, founded in 1584, is older, but it first sold still wines and presents itself as the oldest wine house in Champagne. To find out more, read why Ruinart is the oldest champagne house.

In 1877, the house installed its cellars in the crayères of Reims, former chalk quarries whose origin is believed to date back to Gallo-Roman times. They form 8 kilometres of galleries over three levels, down to 38 metres deep, with a constant temperature of 10 to 12 °C. Listed as a historic monument as early as 1931, they have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2015, along with the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars.

In 1896, André Ruinart commissioned Alfons Mucha for a poster, which the house presents as the first advertisement by a champagne house. The First World War destroyed part of the buildings: Charlotte Ruinart had them rebuilt identically and took over the leadership of the house when André passed away in 1919.

The crayères can be visited. The house offers a two-hour guided tour at 4 rue des Crayères, followed by a tasting of two cuvées. Booking is done on its website.

Dom Ruinart, the house's prestige cuvée, was born with the 1959 vintage and bears the name Dom Thierry. It is a blanc de blancs, made solely from grand cru and premier cru chardonnay: around 70% from the Côte des Blancs and 30% from the Montagne de Reims for the 2013, aged at least nine years in the cellar. In 2022, the Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2010 won the title of world champion at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships. To find out more, read everything about Dom Ruinart.

Frédéric Panaïotis was cellar master from 2007 to 2025. Caroline Fiot, who joined the house in 2016, succeeded him. In 2026, she unveiled the 1926 vintage, a century after its harvest: 18 bottles once given to Paul Bocuse and rediscovered in 2023 in his restaurant's cellar. These are the oldest that Ruinart holds.

• R de Ruinart: around 40% chardonnay, complemented by pinot noir and meunier. This is the house's entry point.
• Blanc de Blancs: chardonnay only, from 25 to 30 crus. This is the house's signature cuvée, in its round bottle inherited from the 18th century.
• Rosé: 45% chardonnay and 55% pinot noir, 12% of which is vinified as red.

R de Ruinart and Blanc de Blancs contain 20 to 30% reserve wines, which ensure their consistency. To help you choose, read our cuvée comparison and our Blanc de Blancs guide.