Before there was Dom Pérignon the brand, before Veuve Clicquot dressed itself in yellow - there was Ruinart. Founded in 1729, it is the oldest established champagne house in the world, and the Blanc de Blancs NV is arguably its most eloquent expression.

This is 100% Chardonnay champagne with the kind of quiet confidence that doesn't need to announce itself. Pour it, and the first thing you notice is the mousse - impossibly fine, almost silken, rising in a steady stream through pale gold. Then the aromas arrive: white flowers, lemon zest, a whisper of toasted almond. It smells like a sunny morning in a French patisserie, if that patisserie happened to sit on a chalk hillside in Reims.

On the palate, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is bright and precise - white peach, Amalfi lemon, a thread of minerality that runs through the finish like a chalk line drawn beneath everything. There's a creamy richness that keeps it from being austere, and a length that quietly insists you pay attention. This isn't champagne that shouts. It murmurs, and you lean in. The body is elegant without being thin, the acidity bracing but never harsh. Each sip feels like a conversation that's earned the right to be complex.

How to Serve

Chill to 8 - 10°C. A tulip glass or white wine glass will give the aromatics more room than a narrow flute - Ruinart deserves the space to breathe and develop.

Food Pairings

This is one of the great food champagnes. Oysters are the classic match - the salinity and the minerality are made for each other. But it's equally brilliant with sushi, ceviche, a simple goat's cheese salad, or grilled lobster. For something unexpected, try it alongside a plate of lightly salted, warm gougères or even delicate white fish preparations.