Ruinart

House · Reims · founded 1729

Ruinart is a Champagne house in Reims, founded on 1 September 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart.1 The Mission Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne describes it as the oldest Champagne house.2

History

According to the house, Nicolas Ruinart opened his first ledger for "wine with bubbles" on 1 September 1729. His uncle, Dom Thierry Ruinart, was a Benedictine monk.1 The house dates a rosé to 1764 and calls it the first rosé champagne; this is the house's own claim, not an independent record.1

Ruinart acquired chalk pits (crayères) under Reims in 1877. They were listed as a natural site in 1931 and became part of the UNESCO World Heritage property in 2015.2 The house gives more than 8 km of galleries on three levels, with the deepest point at 38 metres.1 See crayère.

Ownership

Ruinart belongs to Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of LVMH.1 The Union des Maisons de Champagne lists it under MHCS, with a vineyard figure of 1,600 ha given for MHCS as a whole, not for Ruinart alone.3

Wines

The house says Chardonnay is present in every cuvée and that its vineyards lie mainly on the Montagne de Reims. Named wines include a blanc de blancs made only from Chardonnay and a rosé.1 In 2020 the house introduced a paper case it calls "Second Skin".1

See also

When the Champagne houses were foundedHistoryCrayèreGlossaryBlanc de blancsStylesMontagne de ReimsRegionsChampagne label codes: NM, RM, CM, RC, SR, ND, MAStyles

Sources

  1. LVMH (owner of Ruinart). Ruinart
  2. Mission Coteaux, Maisons et Caves de Champagne: Patrimoine mondial. La plus ancienne Maison de Champagne
  3. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). House profile: Ruinart
  4. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). The Champagne Houses (member list)

Facts checked on 2026-10-20