The Delights Of Freshness, Balance and Expression - Ruinart Brut Rosé Non-Vintage

I am so glad that I had a wonderful first experience with Ruinart's Brut Rosé Non-Vintage recently. Afterall, it had a lot to live up to; the R de Ruinart I had tasted a week before was sublime - so I had big expectations. However after reading Tyson Stelzer's write-up about his misfortune with this cuvée, I consider myself fairly lucky.

I use the word 'luck' very deliberately because after reading Tyson's tasting entry in The Champagne Guide 2012, it really seems to be 'pot luck' right now in Australia as to whether you get a good or a bad bottle.

Tyson recounts how after several failed attempts he finally struck a good bottle, putting it down to the fact there were several bottles still floating around with a vintage base of 2005 or 2006. In addition to the challenges presented by the 2005 vintage year, both champagnes were brought down by the fact they had been disgorged for a fairly long time.

Disgorgement refers to the process whereby all the sediment that gets captured in the neck of the bottle (at the end of secondary fermentation) gets released, leaving a clear cuvée ready for corking and distribution to the market.

Sediment is primarily a culmination of dead yeast cells broken down from yeast and sugar interaction within the bottle. These yeast cells or 'lees' are critical in helping to produce the classic champagne taste that we all love but also in preserving the cuvée, ensuring freshness, body and complexity. So once its released, it brings on rapid ageing of the champagne and increases the risk of oxidation if transported and stored incorrectly.

Fortunately for me, I had the opposite experience; it was nothing short of fresh, rich and expressive. Seemingly, I had purchased the next release based on the 2007 vintage. Therefore it was a more recently disgorged champagne. But how could I know for sure? The fact is, there is no way to know for sure.

Like Tyson, I too am an advocate for having base vintage years and disgorgement dates printed on bottles. Disgorgement dates are probably the most controversial topic in Champagne right now. Do a google search and there is much debate flying here and there about it.

The advocates (largely champagne aficionados) say it is necessary in order to truly make fair assessments of a champagne's  character and quality. Without it, one is left comparing apples with oranges without knowing it. The naysayers are largely the champagne producers who retort that disgorgement dates would simply confuse consumers and make labelling difficult as there can be six or more disgorgements of a given champagne in a year. 

In fairness, both sides have a point. But where the argument falls down for the naysayers is when looking at some of their contemporaries who have successfully embraced this additional information on their labels without any repercussions from the market. 

But perhaps we are beginning to see the winds of change. Recently, high-profile champagne house, Krug, became the latest convert and now includes a smartcode on their bottles, allowing consumers to scan and receive this additional information before purchasing. Others, such as Bruno Paillard, Philipponnat, Charles Heidsieck, Lanson and a few small growers have been converts for several years. Even Moët and Chandon will begin printing disgorgement dates on its vintage champagne bottles - commencing with their 2004 vintage - and soon, Taittinger will follow suit, also adding smartcodes to their labels.

What this suggests is that champagne producers recognise consumers are becoming more sophisticated with their knowledge and their palates. We can only hope.

Now back to the champagne itself. Ruinart's Brut Rosé Non-Vintage chardonnay grapes were taken from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims with grapes for the pinot noir coming from the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne - most of which are Premier Cru territory.

The rosé is then produced using a combination of skin contact purely to extract colour as well as the traditional method; adding 18% red wine to the final blend to add structure. It is then allowed to mature for three years, deep in the coolness of their cellars.

This is the next step in my Ruinart journey, following my recent review of R de Ruinart Brut Non-Vintage and it didn't disappoint. It was, like the previous champagne, wonderful. My tasting notes follow:

House style – The best of chardonnay! Fresh, elegant, lots of finesse and expressive.

Blend - 55% pinot noir and 45% chardonnay. Around 18% red wine added and nine grams of dosage. 20-25% of reserve wines are added for complexity.

Glass - Gorgeous, intense orange-pink.

Nose - A delightful freshness from citrus mixed with hints of strawberry and white pepper.

Palate - The palate is led by a more savoury than sweet strawberry and clear lines of acidity from citrus, yet there is a wonderful softness to it. Minerality comes through beautifully, softened and restrained by lively fruitiness and slight creaminess - delicious. The cuvée is quite rich with good concentration of flavours leading to a dry and long finish. I love the finish on this champagne as the character of the strawberries surface nicely. What is clear about this champagne is its sense of balance. Like the R de Ruinart, no one element dominates another. All of this makes it clever, delicious, fresh and expressive - a true delight.

Verdict - 94 / 100.

Further reading - There is an indepth look at the taste difference from progressively disgorged champagnes here: Finewinepress. There is also a good article here from the New York Times regarding Champagne's ongoing disgorgement debate. For further reading and tasting notes on Ruinart, try their website.