For the first time in over two decades, Maison Ruinart unveiled a new cuvée: Blanc Singulier. A direct response to climate change, this champagne shines light on winemakers’ current dilemma: should they attempt to maintain their brand’s style? Or should they move towards new styles and flavours, adapting to the changes in climate? I had the incredible opportunity of being one of the very first people to taste Blanc Singulier in an exclusive soirée. Here is my review about Ruinart Blanc Singulier (and the event, of course!).
If you are looking for more information about Maison Ruinart and visiting, be sure to read my blog post here.
Menu
Introduction
There is no doubt that climate change is an issue of great concern for Champagne Ruinart, as it is for the entire wine industry and agricultural sector as a whole. The changing climate poses significant challenges and prompts the need for adaptation and sustainable practices in vineyard management and wine-making.
The consequences of climate change are easy to see in the vineyards — in fact, they can even be tasted. The Champagne region, classified as a cool weather wine region, has been heating up to a temperate region. Sudden temperature fluctuations at the beginning of the growing season, such as the frosts of 2021, can have devastating effects on crops — once a rare occurrence, it is the new normal. Very hot summers with little rain are leading to shorter ripening periods, causing a discrepancy between technological maturity (sugar/acid balance) and physiological maturity (tannins, pips and aromas). Overall, this changes the flavours of the grapes.
Florence Boubée-Legrand, Ruinart wine maker, explained all these issues during this event. Right now, wine makers are grappling with the decision of changing their wine styles or maintaining the status quo. This is a big question in Champagne in particular: the wine here is often non-vintage, blending many different still wines together to produce the same consistent taste year after year. But if grape flavours continue to evolve so dramatically as they are now, will this still be possible?
Ruinart Blanc Singulier
Ruinart aims to share the above question with consumers through their new Blanc Singulier. Literally food/champagne for thought!
While upholding the Ruinart signature style, the cellar master and the team have adapted their expertise. The new Blanc Singulier collection presents 100% Chardonnay assemblages that reflect years marked by atypical climate. Using an innovative oenological approach, they blend 80% of base wines from a featured year with 20% from a perpetual reserve crafted exclusively for this project. Dosage depends on the edition. These cuvées are aged a year longer than the standard Ruinart Blanc de Blancs.
Ruinart Blanc Singulier Edition 17
The prototype of Blanc Singulier is “Edition 17”. It marks the starting point of the dedicated reserve. It is only available for tasting and purchase at Ruinart HQ in Reims. I had the chance to try this cuvée.
2017 was a very difficult year in Champagne. There were issues with late frosts, followed by a hot and dry summer, and then torrential rains leading to devastating rot. Black grapes bore the brunt of suffering, Chardonnay fared somewhat better. To try and save grapes from rot, many were picked early, before peak maturation. Finding 2017 vintages in Champagne is rare… but Ruinart was able to get their base wines to work well!
After tasting, I can see why it is not going to be available to the widespread public. Edition 17 is a little unusual for Champagne and might not appeal to everyone. It is quite green with a lot of vegetal and herbacious aromas, but pleasant acidity. Note that it is quite dry — I compared it to Ruinart’s standard Blanc de Blancs and the second was almost sweet next to Edition 17. While it is probably not what I would expect in a classic Champagne, I can see it having many great vegetarian food pairings. I thought it was intriguing and original. I like it.
Ruinart Blanc Singulier Edition 18
Edition 18 is cooooooompletely different. 80% of the base wines are from 2018, the other 20% using the reserve created from Edition 17. Like Edition 17, I was lucky enough to be one of the very first people to try this new cuvée.
2018 was a very different year than the previous one. The winter and beginning of the growing season started off very rainy with mildew, but gradually turned into a very hot and dry summer. One of the hottest in recent history. There were hail storms. Yields were very good. The resulting Champagnes were unusually high in alcohol and low in acidity but still balanced.
Edition 18 really expressed warm-climate Chardonnay, something very unusual for champagne. Its new aromatic profile has notes of fleshy white and yellowed fruits, candied lemon, flowers, rosemary, vanilla. It is complex but crowd-pleasing, easy to drink. It was stunning to taste what a difference the elevated temperatures make — will the 2022 vintage be similar, with the crazy heatwaves we had? I loved this cuvée, but wondered about the future flavour and aromatic profiles of champagne as I sipped my glass…
The Event
The Venue
This exclusive tasting experience was held in the imposing Fort de Montbré near Taissy, Champagne. Mostly abandoned, it once was part of a defensive fort system built around Reims in the late 1800s. It is now slowly being restored to be used for events and gatherings. Some of Ruinart’s grapevines are in the surrounding fields.
Highlights
In a very tastefully decorated courtyard, I sipped Ruinart’s Blanc de Blancs while discussing wine making and learning about the challenges faced by winemakers with regards to the changing climate.
After a presentation, I was led to one of the chambers of the fort to watch the newly released documentary Savoir (Re)Faire. Filmed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and his co-producer Jéremy Frey, this moving short film delves into the challenges facing champagne production. Artistic, charming, and informative, I highly recommend watching it.
The evening ended with an exquisite meal in an ethereal setting. In a convivial long table, I tasted my way through Editions 17 and 18, sharing the moment and dishes with other Ruinart enthusiasts. The decor was perfect for the environmental theme of the evening.
The Food Pairings
The menu, meant to highlight the Blanc Singulier, was conceptualised by Chefs Gil Nogueira and Sayaka Sawaguchi. They are the chefs of Le Garde Champêtre, a popular MICHELIN Green Star restaurant in Champagne. They specialize in locavore and ecological cuisine.
After hors d’oeuvres and more Blanc de Blancs, the meal began with an entrée of white asparagus bisque, green peas, and green asparagus tagliatelle. It was the perfect pairing for Edition 17, playing with its savoury vegetal aromas.
The main was guinea fowl medallions topped with chard, roasted hazelnuts, caramelized apricot, and jus infused with hay. It did a spectacular job of bringing out the candied citrus and smoky flavours of Edition 18.
Edition 18 continued for the rest of the meal. Next were the cheeses: an aged Brie, a mild Langres, and surprisingly, a mild chèvre. There was also a fig-cognac jam. Goat cheese can sometimes make Champagne taste metallic, but it worked well with this one. The bread, big crusty loaves with a Ruinart R decorating the top, was fabulous.
The meal ended with a surprising twist. Cheesecake made with Compté, confit rhubarb, elderberry syrup, and hibiscus gel. The twist is that the cheesecake was actually somewhat salty! By itself, the dessert was lacking some sort of punch (maybe some zest or mint for freshness?)… but when paired together with Edition 18 — WOW. The pairing was perfect. The flavours went so well together. The saltiness and very delicate sweetness of the cheesecake really amplified the complex flavours of the champagne. It was actually my favourite pairing.
Afterwards, there were tropical fruit mignardises and coffee.
The chefs really nailed the pairings and brought forward the unique aromas of these exceptional champagnes. Well done!
Overall Thoughts
Overall, this was an amazing experience. It was not your regular tasting/food pairing — it was a full immersion into the world of Blanc Singulier and the effects of climate change on wine making. It was definitely eye-opening and left me pondering about the future of my favourite wines. I felt incredibly priveledged to be one of the first to try the new Ruinart Blanc Singulier. It is certainly a must-try for any Champagne enthusiast or anyone curious about the effects of climate change on the industry.
Thank you to the Ruinart team!
